Latest news with #Arai
Belfast Telegraph
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Jonathan Rea lifts lid on ‘strong talks' over future prospects in World Superbikes
The six-time champion earned his best result of the 2025 season in Saturday's opening race at the East Midlands circuit, finishing fifth after qualifying strongly in fourth place on the Pata Maxus Yamaha. It was a fitting performance to mark his tribute to Northern Ireland motorcycle legend Joey Dunlop. Rea wore a custom-made replica of the road racing great's iconic yellow Arai helmet over the weekend to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his tragic passing in a racing accident in Estonia on July 2, 2000. Michael Dunlop, who surpassed his uncle Joey's record of 26 Isle of Man TT wins in 2024 and has now won 33 times at the event in total, attended the Donington round where he presented the top three in the Superpole race of Toprak Razgatlioglu, Nicolo Bulega and Sam Lowes with their trophies on Sunday. Rea scored a satisfactory sixth in the Superpole race but ended the weekend in a disappointing 15th in the final race at Round Seven due to an issue with the front brake. He is in the final year of his Yamaha contract after signing with the manufacturer for 2024 and 2025 following nine years at Kawasaki. Rea struggled in his first season on the R1 and finished 13th in the Championship, claiming his only podium result at Donington in the summer of 2024. The 38-year-old was playing catch-up in 2025 after a crash in a test at Phillip Island in Australia in February left him with multiple fractures in his left foot, with the complexity of the injury ruling him out until the Fourth Round at Cremona in Italy at the beginning of May. Rea is currently in 18th place in the Championship, but he doesn't feel his 'difficult moment' will have too much of a negative impact on his prospects of securing a competitive ride for 2026. 'I think this difficult moment we're facing is a moment in time,' said Rea. 'I've no doubt about my ability, and I think when I look at my stats and my career, I don't have to sell (myself) too much, really. The people understand that, and I don't think it's going to affect what happens next year. 'Of course, conversations now are ongoing quite strong about different options here and there, so let's see. I'm sure by the summer break, I'll understand at least what all the options are, and then it will be time to put my head together and understand what I want to do.' The Eighth Round takes place at the Balaton Park track in Hungary from July 25-27 – a new venue on the calendar in the 2025 season – before the six-week summer break. Factory seats are up for grabs at both Ducati and BMW following the confirmed departures of Alvaro Bautista and reigning champion Razgatlioglu respectively, while HRC Honda riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge's futures remain in the balance. Razgatlioglu is making the step up to MotoGP in 2026 with the Pramac Racing Yamaha team and showed why he is in high demand with a dominant display at Donington. The Turkish star completed a clean sweep of all three races to move into the title lead for the first time in 2025 by four points from Nicolo Bulega ( Ducati), who was second in each race. Razgatlioglu won the Superpole race by 2.8 secs from Bulega, with Briton Sam Lowes making it onto the podium at his home round on the Marc VDS Racing Ducati. His brother Alex was declared unfit to race on Sunday after crashing while leading Saturday's opening race. In the final race, Razgatlioglu won by 2.9 secs from Bulega, with team-mate Bautista in third. Sam Lowes was in second place when he crashed out in the early stages. Rea's Yamaha team-mate Andrea Locatelli – fifth in the Superpole race – crossed the line in fourth in Race Two.
Belfast Telegraph
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Jonathan Rea pays emotional tribute to Joey Dunlop on way to best result of season at Donington
Six-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea marked his emotional tribute to fellow Northern Ireland motorcycling legend Joey Dunlop in fitting style as he sealed his best result of the season at Donington Park. Rea unveiled a custom-made replica of the Ballymoney great's iconic yellow Arai helmet, which he wore to pay homage to Joey, 25 years after he lost his life while competing at a race in Tallinn, Estonia on July 2, 2000.
Asahi Shimbun
09-07-2025
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
1st GSDF Osprey arrives in strategic Saga base deployment
SAGA—As part of the nation's "southwest shift" to strengthen defense of remote islands, the deployment of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Osprey transport aircraft at Saga Airport has begun. At around 10:20 a.m. on July 9, an Osprey landed on the airport runway and arrived at the GSDF Camp Saga, which was built adjacent to the airport, located in the capital of Saga Prefecture. An opening ceremony for Camp Saga was held after the Osprey's arrival. 'Camp Saga, located in northern Kyushu, where many major units involved in amphibious operations are located, is strategically extremely important,' Masayoshi Arai, commanding general of the GSDF Western Army, said at the ceremony. Arai also called on the assembled personnel to 'take all possible measures as a camp' for the operation of the Osprey, including safety management, accident prevention and noise control. By mid-August, all 17 of the tilt-rotor aircraft will be transferred from Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, where they have been temporarily stationed, to Camp Saga. On July 6, four of the 17 aircraft were moved to the GSDF Vice Camp Takayubaru in Kumamoto Prefecture from Camp Kisarazu. The one arriving at Camp Saga on July 9 was one of the four Osprey. In the future, about 50 helicopters from the GSDF Camp Metabaru in Saga Prefecture are also planned to be relocated to Camp Saga. A total of 17,000 takeoffs and landings are expected per year, including at night. The plan for the deployment of Osprey to Saga was announced in 2014 and took about 10 years to implement. During this time, coordination with the local community was difficult as the deployment faced stiff local opposition. The Defense Ministry deployed the Osprey to Kisarazu under the condition that they would be deployed for a maximum of five years, and July 9 was the deadline. The deployment is part of the effort to strengthen the defense of the Nansei Islands. The headquarters will be located at Camp Ainoura in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, and is expected to operate in unison with the amphibious task force, which will be responsible for the defense of the remote islands. It is expected that the Osprey will be in full-scale operation in Kyushu and the Nansei Islands. In Japan, about 30 Osprey aircraft are deployed at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture, U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, and U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Due to accidents and problems in Japan and abroad, Osprey flights have been repeatedly suspended and resumed in recent years, raising concerns about the safety of the aircraft, including at deployment sites.
The Mainichi
19-06-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Judo: Japan's Arai vows to use world championship loss as springboard
BUDAPEST (Kyodo)-- Japan's Dota Arai said Wednesday he will not let his defeat "go to waste" after being outclassed by Russian Matvey Kanikovskiy in the men's 100-kilogram final at the judo world championships. Gunning for his first world title after taking bronze at last year's championships, the 20-year-old Arai was unable to impose his will against a clinical Kanikovskiy in Budapest. The 23-year-old Kanikovskiy, competing under the International Judo Federation flag, executed a throw for waza-ari and followed with a ground hold for another point and the gold medal. "I wanted to beat Kanikovskiy no matter what, but the gap between us was too big," Arai said. "To be honest, he was on another level." Arai said Kanikovskiy was a "big wall" he would need to scale to achieve his goal of becoming Japan's first world champion in the division since Aaron Wolf in 2017. "I must not let this loss go to waste," the silver medalist said. In other action from the sixth day of the championships, Japan's Kurena Ikeda won women's 78-kilogram bronze. The 22-year-old advanced through the repechage following a quarterfinal loss to Anna Monta Olek of Germany.
Business Recorder
30-04-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Japan CAA commissioner meets CCP chairman: Digital market regulation, consumer protection discussed
ISLAMABAD: Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) of Japan on Tuesday conveyed to the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) that the Japanese government is drafting a Digital Markets Act whereas the CCP is proposing a Bill on Digital Markets for development of digital market legal framework. Yutaka Arai, Commissioner of the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) of Japan, visited the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) and met with Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu, Chairman CCP, to discuss areas of mutual cooperation, particularly in the fields of digital market regulation and consumer protection. During the meeting, Dr Sidhu briefed Arai on the CCP's ongoing initiatives, including the launch of the study on 'Competition Assessment of Digital Markets and Digital Services in Pakistan.' This comprehensive study aims to examine the impact of digital markets and services on competition, economic growth, and employment opportunities in Pakistan. The study will culminate in policy recommendations to ensure regulatory harmonization with global best practices. Dr Sidhu further shared that, based on the study's findings, CCP plans to propose a Draft Bill on Digital Markets, following international trends observed in jurisdictions such as Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and India, where similar legislative measures have already been introduced. Arai noted that Japan faces similar challenges in regulating its digital markets and informed that the Japanese government is also in the process of drafting a Digital Markets Act. Both sides agreed to work closely together and share ongoing research efforts to enhance regulatory frameworks in their respective jurisdictions. Highlighting recent developments in Japan, Arai shared that amendments to the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions, particularly relating to Mail Order Sales, were made in 2021 and enforced in June 2022. These amendments aim to strengthen consumer protection by requiring sellers to display specific contractual information on the final confirmation screen, such as the quantity of goods, payment terms, and delivery timing, while prohibiting misleading representations. Consumers are granted the right to rescind the contract if they are misled. Additionally, sellers must include mandatory information in mail order advertisements, such as the offer period and cancellation policies. The amendments also explicitly prohibit misrepresentation regarding cancellation rights, with violations subject not only to administrative measures but also direct punitive actions. Arai emphasized that while Japanese law does not outrightly ban defective products in e-commerce, sellers are strongly encouraged to ensure product quality and provide clear usage guidelines to customers to minimize disputes and enhance consumer satisfaction. In response, Dr Sidhu acknowledged the relevance of Japan's experience to Pakistan's evolving e-commerce sector, especially with the increase in cross border online shopping, which introduces new challenges in ensuring product authenticity and customer protection. Dr Sidhu emphasized the need for Pakistan to proactively address these risks. Dr Sidhu further proposed that, inspired by the best practices of Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency, CCP would recommend the formulation of a centralized law for product safety to the relevant Ministry, aiming to further strengthen the Pakistan's consumer protection framework. Both sides agreed to establish a Joint Research Group comprising experts from the CCP and the CAA Japan to facilitate continuous knowledge sharing, particularly focusing on digital market regulations and consumer protection strategies. The meeting concluded on a positive note, paving the way for a strengthened institutional collaboration between the Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan and the Competition Commission of Pakistan. This partnership aims to advance the protection of consumer rights and foster research sharing on the development of the digital market legal framework. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
