Latest news with #Kitakyushu
Japan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Nippon Steel to invest in electric furnaces with government support
Nippon Steel said Friday that it will invest ¥868.7 billion in introducing electric furnaces at its domestic steel plants, with support from the industry ministry. The ministry announced that it will provide up to ¥251.4 billion in aid for the company's changeover from blast furnaces. Since the steel-making process produces a large amount of carbon emissions, steelmakers are now taking measures to decarbonize, including replacing blast furnaces, which use coal and other substances to make steel, with electric furnaces. Nippon Steel aims to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 30% in 2030 compared with levels in 2013, and realize net-zero emissions in 2050. The company is set to spend ¥630.2 billion in installing one electric furnace at its Kyushu Works' Yawata Area in Kitakyushu, ¥140 billion for adding one electric furnace at the Hirohata Area of its Setouchi Works in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, and ¥98.5 billion in renovating and restarting one existing electric furnace at its Yamaguchi Works in the city of Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture. After starting steel production by the second half of fiscal 2029, the three electric furnaces are expected to have a total annual output of 2.9 million tons.
Japan Times
21-05-2025
- Japan Times
Company boss held on suspicion of abandoning father's body at storage site
Police have arrested the president of a construction firm for allegedly abandoning the body of his father at a materials storage yard in the city of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. Ryuma Hanayama, 46, was taken into custody on Wednesday on suspicion of abandoning a corpse. 'I didn't do it,' he reportedly told investigators, denying the allegations. According to police, Hanayama is suspected of burying the body of his 87-year-old father, Ryuichi, sometime between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on April 18 at a storage site owned by the civil engineering and construction company he runs in the city's Kokuraminami Ward. The older man had been missing since April 17. He lived alone and was last seen returning home in his own car at around 3 p.m. that day. A relative filed a missing person's report with the Fukuoka Prefectural Police on April 18. Using surveillance footage, investigators later identified a suspicious vehicle — believed to have been used to transport Ryuichi Hanayama — that traveled from near his home to the storage site. Police searched the storage site on Tuesday and discovered his body buried underground, wrapped in what appeared to be a plastic sheet. A preliminary examination found no obvious external injuries on the body. Authorities plan to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Police noted there had been prior disputes between the suspect and his father, and they are investigating the case to determine whether murder was involved. Translated by The Japan Times
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Sherratt aims to lift Wales' losing burden in Japan
Interim boss Matt Sherratt is hoping a Test win in Japan in July will ensure Wales' new permanent head coach is not saddled by the squad's record losing ended their Six Nations campaign in March with a record 68-14 home loss to England that represented a 17th successive Test will again fill the caretaker role he adopted during the Six Nations and lead Wales against Japan in Kitakyushu on 5 July and Kobe seven days will return to Cardiff and make way for the new appointment, but says victory and not development is what matters against Eddie Jones' Japan."The development angle should be left to the next guy coming in," said Sherratt. "Probably a big part of doing it when I was asked a couple of weeks ago, was laying a foundation for the next guy coming in."I don't think it's our job as coaches to look at the big picture. We'll be in camp for six or seven weeks and it's a short tour."With the world rankings and Japan being one place behind, it's about going there and trying to get a result."The last time Wales tasted victory was against Georgia in October 2023, and that losing run has seen the team slip to a record low of 12th in the world Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) director of rugby Dave Reddin is leading the search for a new permanent head coach to replace Warren Gatland, who resigned in February."I would love for the next guy to look at the team, think there's something to build on and not have that losing record around their neck," Sherratt added. Avoiding another Welsh rugby crisis Players will start preparing for Wales' tour next week amid the backdrop of the latest crisis to hit Welsh rugby between the WRU and its professional sides, with Ospreys and Scarlets in a dispute with the governing body about unequal funding WRU made the announcement it was reverting to a two-tier funding model amid reports it intends to cut a professional team, although it has neither confirmed nor denied if reducing the amount of sides from four to three is part of its says this recent turmoil had not deterred him from again accepting the caretaker role after he had taken charge for the final three games of the Six Nations."I've been in this job long enough, I just concentrate on the rugby," said Sherratt. "I love coaching, that's my motivation."I'll let other people who are way above my pay grade worry about the future of the regions and the national game. "It's probably bigger news outside of an environment than it is inside. I'm sure in the background, after the tour, that may be an issue."As soon as you come into an international camp, you are a bit cocooned. The players are busy focusing on playing and training, so all the big-picture stuff seems to go away." There is more harmony between the coaches with Sherratt saying he sought advice from the other regional Wales bosses when selecting the squad, even sounding out some to join his backroom team."I thought it was important I spoke to the WRU about having some other regional coaches involved, but unfortunately they were not all able to do it for various reasons," said Sherratt."They've been involved, not directly, with selection and been more than helpful to me."The 33-man squad Sherratt came up with includes Ospreys hooker Dewi Lake as captain with Jac Morgan away with the British and Irish are six uncapped players in Keelan Giles, Macs Page, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Liam Belcher, Chris Coleman and Garyn captain Dafydd Jenkins will undergo surgery and misses out, along with Scarlets prop Henry Thomas, who the WRU says will seek specialist opinion on a long-term condition, while Gloucester centre Max Llewellyn is also Adam Beard and Will Rowlands have been rested, while notable absentees from the squad includes Gloucester fly-half Gareth Anscombe, Saracens centre Nick Tompkins, Scarlets wing Ellis Mee and Cardiff flanker James Botham with uncapped Ospreys number eight also missing Sam Costelow, prop Archie Griffin and lock Ben Carter return after missing the Six Nations through injury. New backroom boys Sherratt will have a new team of assistant coaches alongside him in Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson and the Premiership club's scrum specialist Adam Jones, in addition to Gloucester's Rhys Thomas and former Wales prop Gethin and Thomas worked alongside Sherratt during the Six Nations and - together with interim forwards coach Wilson - are on secondment from their Premiership clubs, while defence coach Jenkins has been released by WRU-owned Cardiff."There's a big change happening at the moment with the system," said Sherratt."The WRU were clear they wanted to take an interim staff. As soon as they said that, it was important - with the limited time - that we'd worked together before. "It's a familiar staff. Having staff harmony rubs off on the players. It's important I had people I know and trust."Wales will consider adding a kicking coach at a later date, with Leigh Halfpenny linked with a role that Neil Jenkins has filled for almost 20 Humphreys and Mike Forshaw, who were part of Gatland's coaching staff throughout his second spell in charge, will not be involved this summer, while Rob Howley and Alex King are also again detail have been provided about their futures, with Sherratt saying their fate will be decided by others."That's for the next coach to make that decision, as well as the top of the WRU," Sherratt added."That wasn't something I was comfortable with getting involved in."
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Honda slashes EV budget in fresh blow for the electric car industry amid waning demand as it vows to focus on hybrids
Honda has slashed its plans to invest in electric vehicles (EVs) by 30 per cent, or £15billion, after lowering its expectations for EV sales in the coming years. The Japanese automotive giant says it now expects around 20 per cent of its car sales to be electric by 2030, rather than 30 percent, amid dwindling demand. The company has also cut its budget for new EV projects by almost a third to seven trillion yen (£36.2billion) - and will invest more immediately in expanding its range of hybrid vehicles instead. It comes amid industry predictions that demand for electric cars will wane as governments, including Britain, ease the pressure on car makers to go fully electric. US President Donald Trump has revoked an executive order made by his predecessor Joe Biden to require all new cars in the States to be electric by 2030. The UK, meanwhile, has given car makers permission to continue selling hybrid vehicles - which still have internal combustion engines - until 2035, but will still ban the sale of purely fossil fuelled vehicles by 2030. Honda's cuts come just days after Nissan scrapped plans to build an £822million battery production plant in Kitakyushi, Japan and said it would cut 20,000 jobs. It had originally hoped to make 30 per cent of its car sales electric by the end of this decade, scaled back from a target of 40 percent that was set in 2021. But Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe told a press conference: 'It's really hard to read the market, but at the moment we see EVs accounting for about a fifth by then.' He added: 'EV investment hasn't been abandoned, just pushed back.' Mr Mibe suggested that the changes in regulation made by the US and UK Governments, among others, were stopping people from buying electric cars - and hit out at the recent tariff wars for creating 'increasingly uncertain' trading conditions. He said of the demand for hybrids, however: 'Current market demand for our HEV (hybrid electric vehicle) models is high.' Honda has been slower than other manufacturers to embrace hybrid technology, having originally invested heavily in hydrogen fuel cell technology which has not been widely adopted as an alternative fuel. Its range of UK vehicles is, however, now available as hybrid, including the Jazz supermind, Civic hatchback and CR-V and HR-V crossovers. It offers one pure electric model, the e:Ny1, in Britain. The company is now pushing hybrids as part of a transition towards EVs - seeing them as a stepping stone on the way to pure electric for drivers. It now expects to sell around 2.3million hybrids by 2030, out of a total of 3.6m cars. By comparison, Honda's forecasts suggest sales of no more than 750,000 EVs. Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) suggests demand for electric vehicles is stagnating in Britain. Car makers have been slashing the prices of their electric models in a bid to drive sales - and are pleading for government intervention to encourage EV uptake. Under the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, car makers are expected to make 28 per cent of their sales electric by the end of this year, a target they are unlikely to hit. As of April, 20.7 per cent of new car sales to date in 2024 are electric, while almost half are still petrol. On average, just over a fifth of cars sold in the last 12 months were electric, according to SMMT data. Car firms have called for greater government support for electric cars to encourage people to ditch petrol and diesel. The Government has not offered grants towards new electric cars for three years. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the trade body, said earlier this month: 'EV uptake is still being heavily and unsustainably subsidised by the industry - which is why a compelling package of measures from government is essential if consumers are going to make the switch.'
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Matt Sherratt hopes Wales can ‘lay foundation' against Japan and end losing run
Matt Sherratt wants Wales to 'lay a foundation' for Warren Gatland's long-term successor as head coach during a two-Test tour of Japan in July. Cardiff boss Sherratt will resume interim head coach duty for a trip that starts in Kitakyushu on July 5. Sherratt took charge of Wales' final three Six Nations games this season after Gatland departed following defeat against Italy in Rome. Wales ended their Six Nations campaign with a record 68-14 home loss to England and have suffered 17 successive Test defeats, starting with the 2023 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina. Sherratt has named a 33-strong squad for the Japan tour, with Ospreys hooker Dewi Lake chosen as captain. 'Being a Lions year, with two players away and a couple of other experienced players unavailable, it was important to get some experience in the squad,' Sherratt said. 'Probably big picture-wise, if I am honest, the development angle should be left to the next guy coming in, in terms of some younger boys he wants to look at. 'A big part of doing it when I was asked a couple of weeks ago was laying a foundation for the next guy coming in. I don't think it is our job as coaches to look at the big picture. 'It is just about getting some familiarity there, and with the world rankings and Japan being one place behind, it is about going there and trying to get a result. 'I would love for the next guy to look at the team and think there is something to build on and not have that losing record around their neck.' Sherratt will have a new team of assistant coaches alongside him for appointments with Eddie Jones' Japan in Kitakyushu and then Kobe seven days later. Jonathan Humphreys and Mike Forshaw, who were part of Gatland's coaching staff throughout his second spell in charge, will not be involved this summer. Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson and scrum specialist Adam Jones will join Sherratt on the tour, in addition to Gloucester's TR Thomas and Cardiff defence coach Gethin Jenkins, all on a secondment basis. Jones and Thomas worked alongside Sherratt during the Six Nations. 'The WRU (Welsh Rugby Union) were pretty clear they wanted to take an interim staff. I think it was important, with the limited time, that we had worked together before,' Sherratt added. 'I've worked with Danny at Cardiff, I work with Gethin now, Gethin and TR have worked together, Adam Jones has played with them. It is a familiar staff, and having staff harmony rubs off on the players.' Sherratt has selected six uncapped players in Keelan Giles, Macs Page, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Liam Belcher, Chris Coleman and Garyn Phillips. Fly-half Sam Costelow, prop Archie Griffin and lock Ben Carter, meanwhile, all return after missing the Six Nations through injury. But Exeter captain Dafydd Jenkins will undergo surgery this summer and misses out along with Scarlets prop Henry Thomas, who the WRU say will seek specialist opinion on a long-term condition, while locks Adam Beard and Will Rowlands are rested. Gloucester back Max Llewellyn is also injured, but there are no places for the likes of Llewellyn's club colleagues Gareth Anscombe and Josh Hathaway, Saracens centre Nick Tompkins, Scarlets wing Ellis Mee and Cardiff flanker James Botham.
