Latest news with #Ishizuka
Shafaq News
25-05-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
President Barzani with Japanese Consul: Investment cooperation in focus
Shafaq News/ Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met, on Sunday, with Hitoshi Ishizuka, the newly appointed Head of Japan's Consular Office in Erbil. According to the Kurdistan Region Presidency, Barzani welcomed Ishizuka and pledged full support from Regional institutions to ensure a successful tenure. He emphasized Kurdistan's interest in attracting 'opportunities for Japanese employment and investment' in the Region and Iraq, expressing appreciation for Japan's continued 'aid and support.' سهرۆك نێچيرڤان بارزانى داكۆكى له برهودان به پهيوهندييهكان لهگهڵ ژاپۆن دهكات — Kurdistan Region Presidency (@KurdistanRegion) May 25, 2025 In turn, Ishizuka reaffirmed Tokyo's commitment to deepening ties with both Erbil and Baghdad. He outlined current projects led by Japanese companies in Kurdistan, along with their 'operational agenda.'
Time Out
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Ishizuka
May 2025 update: Could Ishizuka have created the most stunning Mother's Day gift box in Melbourne? We certainly think so. Check out their limited-edition floral-decorated package of castella cake and special gyokuro tea. Executive chef Katsuji Yoshino's beloved Japanese dessert is reminiscent of a honey sponge cake. Spoiler alert: we taste-tested it and it's insanely impressive – a not-too-sweet, cloud-like fluffy rectangle of pure technical mastery. The handcrafted box is topped with a vibrant floral arrangement, and also encloses two bottles of premium green tea from the heart of Kyoto, so you can enjoy the ritual with mum over a cuppa. Go here and scroll down to the Mother's Day gift box for more details. Read on for our original review of Ishizuka from December 2024. ***** Time Out Melbourne never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. F Searching for Ishizuka feels a bit like geocaching. On a stroll up Bourke Street, you take a sharp right into a nondescript apartment building and then punch a code into a lift before being buzzed in. Down you plummet into a subterranean foyer and even then, the restaurant is still concealed behind an ethereal white dome that's like a giant Japanese lantern. It's otherworldly down here. But once your host checks your reservation and lets you in, you're met with a familiar sight: a long wooden counter behind which chefs busily prepare food and serve just 16 customers at a time. At each setting, I note beautiful bonsai structures releasing scented vapours. My senses are already being charmed, though nothing yet has met my lips. The restaurant's offering is a hyper-seasonal, degustation-style kaiseki menu. Sometimes referred to as 'Japanese haute cuisine', kaiseki is a centuries-old Japanese culinary art designed to celebrate the purity of fresh ingredients through a meticulously prepared sequence of dishes. Having trained at several of France's Michelin-starred restaurants, executive chef Katsuji Yoshino comes highly equipped with skills in both innovative European and time-honoured Japanese techniques. The journey begins with 'zensai', a flower-painted, multi-dish stack of delicate appetisers that are almost too pretty to eat. One carries a ball of ume-sesame temari sushi and a sweet oyster in aosa-dashi jelly ('aosa' is sea lettuce), its shell artfully sprayed with a splash of gold. Another contains a gold-rimmed glass of Tasmanian lobster with fresh uni; a pink scroll of rich duck with a dot of plum paste; and awa-fu (a springy millet snack) with watercress miso and a kinome leaf garnish. The third comprises morsels of Western Australia octopus and firefly squid with bottarga miso. Every bite is incredible, but the pacing is faster than I expected; I must keep up. A very elegantly dressed Japanese couple chuckles at my nervousness, and given how clumsy I am with a pair of chopsticks, I probably deserve it. A single ornate glass of alfonsino fish soup (the 'sakisui' course) is a comforting breather, its homey dashi fragrance the familiar thread that weaves all strata of Japanese diners together. The following courses comprise several delights delivered with technical precision: heavenly snapper, kingfish and paradise prawn otsukuri; Tasmanian tiger prawn and asparagus tempura flecked with verdant salt; and a wonderfully tender piece of chargrilled hapuka fish with sugarloaf cabbage and black pearls of caviar. The latter's emulsified coating incorporates hapuka broth and shiso vinegar, and it's like the best white sauce you've ever tasted on steroids. Woah. A highlight for me is yet another soup course, a dish Yoshino has revealed he was particularly excited to feature in the spring menu. Ishizuka's signature clear soup of crab dashi and kunzu powder features a snow crab parcel wrapped in a vivid rainbow spectrum of spring vegetables. I'm particularly taken with the junsai (pond vegetables) that lend gelatinous pops of texture to the dish. Every dish is expertly matched with alcoholic pairings that the sommelier talks through with me patiently. He doesn't miss a beat, answering all my questions with passion; every Japanese tea, sake and wine has a story and I'm eager to hear it. Shabu-shabu (Japanese hot pot) is a self-guided ritual; a bowl of seasoning liquid flecked with mitsuba sits atop a boiler and I'm instructed to cook strips of A5 Yamagata Wagyu to my desired level. It's dreamily luxurious, of course – even more saucily seductive with its sancho pepper and chervil accompaniments. 'Do you want to try some truffle rice?' a waitress asks me, her convivial manner a pleasant contrast to the serious formality behind the bar. It's the perfect way to soak up the remainder of the juices. The final savoury course is toro (fatty tuna) and anago (cooked saltwater eel) sushi, served alongside a knock-out lobster miso soup. I use the lone lobster limb as a straw to suck out the meat and soup together, and admittedly, sneak a peek at the couple to make sure this isn't in serious breach of etiquette. Yoshino's European influence comes through in floral moulds of mascarpone cheese that hold their shape atop a stunning peach granita, castella and berry dessert, yet its presentation is reminiscent of a Japanese cherry blossom tree in full bloom. I've always felt terribly impressed – even somewhat intimidated – by the fastidious attention to detail and quality associated with Japanese culture. It's not just present in the realm of food; it's in theatre, literature, music, even cleanliness (shout out to Marie Kondo). It can seem that there is no room for imperfection, that not yet knowing the exact shape of my 'ikigai' (life purpose) or how to fold my socks in an aesthetically pleasing way might be unforgivably egregious in the eyes of a stoic Kyoto-dwelling elder. And yet the Japanese are known to revere nature, that wild and un-curated cycle of life and death, and an eternal force of change that's unpredictable, and ultimately, undefeatable. There's also 'kintsugi', the traditional philosophy-based art of repairing broken objects with gold to highlight their wounded history rather than disguise it. This contradiction between surrender and control is not jarring at Ishizuka. Instead, it's a harmonious marriage. The fruits of nature are curated into a sequence driven by man's necessity to derive meaning and pleasure from them. Technique, the elements, rich symbolism and the desire to nourish swim together in synchronicity. Here, the result is as beautiful as poetry.
Japan Times
15-04-2025
- Health
- Japan Times
Privacy, transparency clash in debate over bill on artificial insemination
Lawmakers are on the cusp of kicking off deliberations on a bill introducing legal provisions on the right to know one's genetic origins for children conceived through artificial insemination by donor (AID), raising the thorny question of when they can access donor information, and to what extent. The assisted reproductive tech bill, submitted to the Upper House on Feb 5 by lawmakers from four parties — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner, Komeito, and opposition parties Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Democratic Party for the People — will become the first piece of legislation covering donor information since the country's first AID procedure was performed in 1948. The bill stipulates that donor-conceived individuals, upon turning 18, may have access to information concerning the height, blood types and ages of the donors. The disclosure of additional information requires the permission of the donors. Information about donors, donor-conceived children and their legal parents will be archived for 100 years by the National Center for Child Health and Development (NCCHD), the bill stipulates. The bill has drawn criticism from some donor-conceived people. Over 1,500 such individuals were born between 2007 and 2022, the latest data from the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology shows. 'The right to know one's genetic origins belongs to the child. So, the children should get as much information as they want when they want it,' Sachiko Ishizuka, 45, who was born via AID, told lawmakers from the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on April 9. She learned at 23 that she was fathered by an anonymous sperm donor at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo. Doctors told Ishizuka's parents to never tell anyone, including their child, that they used a sperm donor because AID was an admission of male infertility — a taboo that was best kept secret. Donors, many of whom were medical students at the time, were also told to keep their contributions a secret. With many having families of their own, they are hesitant to step out of the veil of anonymity. 'Secrecy does more harm than good,' said Ishizuka, who struggled to forgive her parents for concealing the truth from her for so long. Unfiltered transparency, however, may drive donors away. Ishizuka, 45, learned at 23 that she was fathered by an anonymous sperm donor at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo. She struggled to forgive her parents for concealing the truth from her for so long. | Shigeru Yamada Donors have already withdrawn from sperm donation, according to Keio University Hospital, which was Japan's top medical institution for AID procedures until 2018 — when it stopped accepting new patients due to a lack of donors. About 2,000 AID procedures were performed nationwide in 2022, more than a thousand fewer than a decade earlier, according to the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. '(Donors) couldn't continue at the risk of encountering legal issues in the future,' Kurumi Kano, a spokesperson for the hospital, said. The bill under deliberation would allow donors to volunteer more anonymized information without compromising on their privacy, Komeito Upper House lawmaker Kozo Akino has said on the party's website. The bill names the NCCHD as a potential mediator between donors and their offsprings. '(The bill) balances the need to secure donors and protect children's rights,' Akino said. Some data shows that there has been a shift in the priorities of medical professionals in Japan — from maintaining secrecy to protecting the right of donor-conceived children to know their genetic heritage. A 2024 survey of obstetricians and gynecologists at 375 medical institutions conducted by professor Mikiya Nakatsuka at Okayama University found that 83.5% believed the right should be protected. In other countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands as well as some Australian states, laws have been enacted to grant donor-conceived children access to donor identity. In Austria, donor-conceived children as young as 14 have the right to access the names and dates of birth of their biological parents. Ishizuka argues that the bill 'undermines' the right of a person to know one's genetic heritage by leaving it up to donors to decide whether to disclose information about themselves to the children. 'How can you say that a child's right (to know their genetic heritage) is protected when someone else has the final say?' she said. The assisted reproductive tech bill has also drawn criticism for excluding unmarried and same-sex couples from conceiving using donors. Lawmaker Akino said that if same-sex couples, who cannot legally marry in Japan, receive AID treatments, it could raise questions about the donor's parental rights — an issue that requires further deliberation. Criticism has been raised against the punishments outlined by the bill for medical institutions violating this exclusion — imprisonment of up to a year, a fine of up to ¥1 million ($6,972), or both.
South China Morning Post
06-02-2025
- South China Morning Post
In Japan, surge in shoplifting by foreign gangs sparks vigilance warning
Japanese police have intensified calls for tighter security in pharmacies amid a surge in thefts by foreign criminals posing as tourists, with analysts warning that lax internal checks were fuelling increasingly sophisticated shoplifting offences committed in retail stores. The National Police Agency provided guidelines on combating shoplifters to the Japan Association of Chain Drug Stores in late January, the first time the authorities had reached out to assist a specific retail sector. Police recorded 13,754 shoplifting cases in pharmacies in the first 11 months of 2024, the Yomiuri newspaper reported. It added that when Japanese suspects were detained, they were caught in possession of stolen items valued at an average of 10,774 yen (US$70.36), but foreign suspects had shoplifted goods worth an average of 88,531 yen. 'There are a couple of reasons for what is going on now, but the police are right to act because this is a growing problem,' said Shinichi Ishizuka, founder of the Tokyo-based Criminal Justice Future think tank. 'A lot more people are coming to Japan as tourists and they are seeing that shops here are not as well protected against shoplifters as in other countries,' Ishizuka told This Week in Asia. A lack of defences made retail outlets in Japan easy targets for thieves who would take their haul home, Ishizuka said. He cited an arrest in February 2024 of four Vietnamese who had arrived in Japan on tourist visas but took advantage of lax security at Uniqlo stores to steal the apparel chain's items before shipping them to Vietnam for sale. 13:21 How chefs in Japan's Nagoya transform miso from a battle ration to desserts, cocktails and more How chefs in Japan's Nagoya transform miso from a battle ration to desserts, cocktails and more
South China Morning Post
06-02-2025
- South China Morning Post
In Japan, surge in store thefts by foreign gangs sparks vigilance warning
Japanese police have intensified calls for tighter security in pharmacies amid a surge in thefts by foreign criminals posing as tourists, with analysts warning that lax internal checks were fuelling increasingly sophisticated shoplifting offences committed in retail stores. The National Police Agency provided guidelines on combating shoplifters to the Japan Association of Chain Drug Stores in late January, the first time the authorities had reached out to assist a specific retail sector. Police recorded 13,754 shoplifting cases in pharmacies in the first 11 months of 2024, the Yomiuri newspaper reported. It added that when Japanese suspects were detained, they were caught in possession of stolen items valued at an average of 10,774 yen (US$70.36), but foreign suspects had shoplifted goods worth an average of 88,531 yen. 'There are a couple of reasons for what is going on now, but the police are right to act because this is a growing problem,' said Shinichi Ishizuka, founder of the Tokyo-based Criminal Justice Future think tank. 'A lot more people are coming to Japan as tourists and they are seeing that shops here are not as well protected against shoplifters as in other countries,' Ishizuka told This Week in Asia. A lack of defences made retail outlets in Japan easy targets for thieves who would take their haul home, Ishizuka said. He cited an arrest in February 2024 of four Vietnamese who had arrived in Japan on tourist visas but took advantage of lax security at Uniqlo stores to steal the apparel chain's items before shipping them to Vietnam for sale. 13:21 How chefs in Japan's Nagoya transform miso from a battle ration to desserts, cocktails and more How chefs in Japan's Nagoya transform miso from a battle ration to desserts, cocktails and more
