Latest news with #Mainichi
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Japanese imperial family pays respects to victims of WWII ship sunk by U.S. sub
June 5 (UPI) -- Japan's royal family wrapped up a two day visit to Okinawa Thursday, where they paid respects to the victims of a World War II-era Japanese evacuation ship that was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine. Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko prayed for the victims who were lost aboard the ship, according to the Japanese national daily news outlet the Mainichi. They called for peace during their visit. The imperial family presented flowers and bowed deeply at a memorial site in Nama for the Tsushima battleship, on which at least 1,500 people, including hundreds of schoolchildren, were killed in the torpedo attack. The family also visited a nearby memorial museum where they spoke to survivors and bereaved family members, and also witnessed several personal items that belonged to the schoolchildren who died. One man, 85-year-old Masakatsu Takara, recounted the pain of losing nine of his family members, including his parents and siblings. The Tsushima Maru was hit with a torpedo near southwestern Japan's Tokara Islands while traveling from Okinawa to Nagasaki during an August, 1944 government ordered evacuation.
The Mainichi
3 days ago
- General
- The Mainichi
In Photos: Restored cross of Shuri Church in Okinawa conveys intensity of WWII battle
Image 1 of 11 The cross of Shuri Church, which was restored in 2017, is pictured in this composite photo created with images taken over about an hour and a half from 1:32 a.m. on May 5, 2023, in Naha. The cross was restored to replicate its state at the time of the Battle of Okinawa, when it sustained heavy damage. (Mainichi/Shinnosuke Kyan)
UPI
3 days ago
- General
- UPI
Japanese imperial family pays respects to victims of WWII ship sunk by U.S. sub
June 5 (UPI) -- Japan's royal family wrapped up a two day visit to Okinawa Thursday, where they paid respects to the victims of a World War II-era Japanese evacuation ship that was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine. Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko prayed for the victims who were lost aboard the ship, according to the Japanese national daily news outlet the Mainichi. They called for peace during their visit. The imperial family presented flowers and bowed deeply at a memorial site in Nama for the Tsushima battleship, on which at least 1,500 people, including hundreds of schoolchildren, were killed in the torpedo attack. The family also visited a nearby memorial museum where they spoke to survivors and bereaved family members, and also witnessed several personal items that belonged to the schoolchildren who died. One man, 85-year-old Masakatsu Takara, recounted the pain of losing nine of his family members, including his parents and siblings. The Tsushima Maru was hit with a torpedo near southwestern Japan's Tokara Islands while traveling from Okinawa to Nagasaki during an August, 1944 government ordered evacuation. Japanese royal family visit Okinawa
4 days ago
- Business
Rice Issues a Blow to Ishiba Administration Popularity
The monthly public opinion polls carried out by eight leading Japanese media organizations turned out another set of dismal numbers for the administration of Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru in May 2025. The highest percentage of respondents indicating support for the government was just 34% in the Nikkei survey, up a single percentage point from April; at the low end was the 20.9% support in the Jiji Press poll, down 2.2 points month on month. All-time lows in support percentages came in five of the polls (NHK, Yomiuri Shimbun , Jiji, Mainichi Shimbun , and Kyōdō News), and three of them—Jiji, Mainichi , and Kyōdō—showed approval ratings below the 30% mark. On the disapproval side, meanwhile, Mainichi turned out the highest number, up 1 point from April to 62%, and even the lowest disapproval rating, seen in the NHK poll, was up 3 points to 48%. All seven organizations other than NHK found more than half of respondents disapproving of the administration's performance, with the newspapers Mainichi , Sankei Shimbun , and Nikkei marking this above the 60% level. Our tracker for the Jiji Press poll shows that the Ishiba administration has hit an all-time low in its approval rating for the second consecutive month, while the disapproval number has hit an all-time high for the third month in a row. The downward trend in public support for Ishiba shows no sign of letting up, bringing his numbers close to those seen for his predecessor, Kishida Fumio, shortly before the end of his time in office. Koizumi Impact Lower than Hoped Respondents to the various surveys noted various reasons for their dissatisfaction with the current government, including skyrocketing rice prices, Japan's response to the threat of US tariffs on Japanese exports, and the administration's rejection of proposals floated on reductions to the consumption tax rate. Prime Minister Ishiba removed Etō Taku from the post of agriculture minister after the latter's gaffe, a comment that he had never had to purchase rice himself since his constituents gifted him so much of the grain. In tapping Koizumi Shinjirō, the Liberal Democratic Party's former Election Strategy Committee chair, to fill the position, Ishiba hoped to prompt a reversal of his fortunes in the public opinion department, but this did not come in time to appear as a bounce in the ratings in the May polls; in the Nikkei survey, however, more than 60% of respondents indicated that they were 'hopeful' about how Koizumi would perform in the role, and a separate poll carried out by Kyōdō on May 24–25 turned out a 31.7% approval rating for the government, up 4.3 points from its mid-May survey. The ruling and opposition parties alike are keenly watching rice price trends as they gear up for the House of Councillors election slated for July this year, and agricultural policy is a key focus of attention in Diet debate. Coming sooner on the political calendar is the June 22 election for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, viewed as a harbinger of the major parties' fortunes in the national contest later in the summer. (Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, at right, with Koizumi Shinjirō, newly appointed as minister of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries on May 21, 2025, at the Kantei. © Jiji.)
The Mainichi
28-05-2025
- Health
- The Mainichi
The Mainichi News Quiz Answer for May 28
May 28, 2025 (Mainichi Japan) This file photo shows the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. (Mainichi/Akihiro Hirata) What system is part of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party proposing to introduce for foreign residents to improve the payment rate for National Health Insurance? A) An online payment verification system B) A fine-based enforcement system C) A prepayment system at enrollment D) A salary deduction system Correct Answer: C) A prepayment system at enrollment Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has proposed introducing a prepayment system that would require foreign residents to pay a certain period's insurance premiums upfront when enrolling in the National Health Insurance at local government offices upon arriving in Japan. This proposal comes in response to a payment rate among foreign nationals (63%) that is significantly lower than the overall rate (93%). Read the article
