Latest news with #Sendai
CBS News
17-07-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Bear roaming golf course halts play at tournament for second time in 2 months in Japan
A bear sighting on Wednesday prompted organizers of a golf tournament in Japan to cancel the opening day, marking the second time an ursine invader has halted play in the last two months. The bear was spotted in the morning near the first tee at the Meiji Yasuda Ladies tournament at Sendai Classic Golf Club in northern Japan on the professional JLPGA Tour. The pro-am competition scheduled for the same day was canceled, with organizers later deciding to scrap Thursday's opening day of the tournament. Organizers said they would decide later whether to play or cancel the rest of the competition, which has a total prize money of $670,000. "On Wednesday, a bear sighting on the course was reported and the pro-am tournament was cancelled to protect the safety of the participants, players and staff," said a statement on the tournament website. "To ensure safety and to consider future measures, we have decided to cancel Thursday's opening day," the statement continued. "We will announce details of the tournament from Friday onwards as soon as they have been decided." In May, the final round of the Twinfield Ladies on the women's second-tier Step Up tour in central Japan was cancelled after a bear was spotted on the course. The following month, a bear roaming the runway forced a Japanese airport to cancel flights and declare itself off-limits to passengers for the day. Human encounters with bears reached record levels in Japan last year, with 219 people attacked and six deaths in the 12 months to April 2024. Climate change affecting food sources and hibernation times is a key factor, but as Japan's aging population shrinks, humans are leaving rural areas, and that is also leaving room for bears to move in. "Then that area recovered to the forest, so bears have a chance to expand their range," biologist Koji Yamazaki, from Tokyo University of Agriculture, told CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer in 2023. Japan is one of the only places on the planet where a large mammal species has been reclaiming habitat — which is good news for the bears, but if, as biologists suspect, the bear population is growing, the country will have to figure out new ways to protect people, and vital infrastructure like airports, from the animals. Japan's government in February approved a bill allowing hunters to shoot bears in populated areas. In December, a bear that rampaged through a Japanese supermarket for two days was lured out with food coated in honey. Police said the animal was trapped and later killed.
Japan Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
CDP leader criticizes ‘Japanese First' policy and calls for inclusive society
The leader of Japan's largest opposition party has criticized the concept of 'Japanese First' policy — advocated by small, right-wing party Sanseito — saying foreign residents are critical to maintaining Japan's economy and calling for a multicultural society that respects minorities. Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda made the remarks while campaigning in Sendai and in Ibaraki Prefecture earlier this week ahead of Sunday's Upper House election. Noda warned that division and conflict were growing around the world, sowing the seeds of war. 'Unfortunately, in Japan as well, political forces have emerged that are stoking division and conflict through their rhetoric. If there are political forces seeking to gain political points by excluding foreigners, I will firmly oppose them,' Noda said during his Sunday appearance in Sendai. The issue of foreign residents in Japan, rarely a topic in election campaigning, has now become a hot topic of debate as Japan's foreign population continues to grow. Sanseito has adopted 'Japanese First' as its main slogan and the party's Upper House election platform. The platform includes a promise to implement immigration restrictions limiting the number of foreign residents to 5% of the population in each municipality. As of the end of 2024, the number of foreign residents in Japan stood at a record 3.77 million — up 10.5% from the year before, but still only about 3% of the total population. It was obvious, Noda added, that Japanese society could not function without the help of foreign workers in manufacturing, health care, construction and public transportation. 'For example, in the field of nursing care, it's estimated that 2.7 million workers will be needed by 2040. That's 15 years from now. Currently, there are about 2.1 million workers. But due to harsh working conditions, new people are not entering the field, and some are leaving. Closing this gap of 600,000 workers will be extremely difficult,' Noda said. While Noda did not specifically name Sanseito in his speeches, he criticized the concept of placing restrictions on foreign residents just to prioritize Japanese people, especially at a time when such residents are already contributing to Japanese society. 'Japanese first. Japan first. If that's the case, isn't (accepting foreign residents) for the greater good of our country?' he said during a separate rally in the city of Kamisu, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Wednesday. 'When you go to a convenience store, isn't the person selling you rice balls a foreign employee? Aren't there a lot of foreign workers in manufacturing plants? Aren't there a lot of foreign workers in construction sites and public transportation right now? Aren't we relying on foreign workers because of the shortage of caregivers?' Noda said. The CDP leader suggested that the idea foreign residents receive preferential treatment is a misconception that may be rooted in the fact that many Japanese are feeling hardship in their daily lives, rather than an indication of such residents actually being treated favorably. If the reason for their discontent is because wages aren't increasing as much as price hikes, resolving those issues is what needs to be done, he said. 'That's why we, the opposition parties, including the CDP, need to unite and overthrow the LDP-led administration.'
Japan Times
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Bear stops play again at Japan golf event
A bear sighting on Wednesday prompted organizers of a JLPGA Tour event to cancel the opening day — the second time an ursine invader has halted play in the last two months. The bear was spotted in the morning near the first tee at the Meiji Yasuda Ladies tournament at Sendai Classic Golf Club. The pro-am competition scheduled for the same day was canceled, with organizers later deciding to scrap Thursday's opening day of the tournament. Organizers said they would decide later whether to play or cancel the rest of the competition, which has a total prize money of ¥100 million ($670,000). "On Wednesday, a bear sighting on the course was reported and the pro-am tournament was canceled to protect the safety of the participants, players and staff," said a statement on the tournament website. "To ensure safety and to consider future measures, we have decided to cancel Thursday's opening day. "We will announce details of the tournament from Friday onward as soon as they have been decided." In May, the final round of the Twinfield Ladies on the women's second-tier Step Up tour in central Japan was canceled after a bear was spotted on the course. The following month, a bear roaming the runway forced a Japanese airport to cancel flights and declare itself off-limits to passengers for the day. Human encounters with bears reached record levels in Japan last year, with 219 people attacked and six deaths in the 12 months to April 2024. Climate change affecting food sources and hibernation times, along with depopulation caused by an aging society, are causing bears to venture into towns more frequently, scientists say.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RevolKa Ltd. Joins Research and Development Program for Innovative Biologics Funded by the Japanese Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED)
RevolKa Fueling Up AI Protein Engineering Platform-based Therapeutic Program SENDAI, Japan, June 30, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RevolKa Ltd. (RevolKa), a venture-backed biotech company providing a cutting-edge AI-driven protein engineering technology platform, called aiProtein® has announced its participation in a research and development program funded by a government grant of 54 million JPY (approximately US$372K for the first year) from the Japanese Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). This project, set to continue over 4 years, is led by Prof. Mitsuo Umetsu of Tohoku University, who also serves as RevolKa's Chief Scientific Officer. This opportunity will further accelerate RevolKa's rare disease drug discovery and development efforts, previously announced on July 30th, 2024. ( core technology, aiProtein®: a robust directed protein evolution platform integrated with AI (artificial intelligence) creates exceptionally high performance proteins, going beyond natural evolution and offering advantages for therapeutic strategies. aiProtein® has generated many successful outcomes with many partner companies. About aiProtein® TechnologyRevolKa's proprietary technology, aiProtein® is an AI-assisted directed evolution platform for proteins. Naturally occurring proteins are linear polymers composed of amino acids and their derivatives, folding into a tertiary structure through internal complex atomic interactions to exhibit biological functions. Proteins have evolved their biological functional complexity over hundreds of millions of years. However, the relationship between protein sequence, structure, and function remains poorly understood to enable rational design of protein sequences for specific function. RevolKa's AI engine is trained with sequence-function relationship data, enabling statistical prediction of optimized protein sequences with desired functions. Furthermore, aiProtein® can evolve multiple properties simultaneously. This technology is a powerful and cost-effective solution for creating novel and highly functional proteins suitable for pharmaceutical and industrial applications. About RevolKa is a venture-backed biotechnology company founded in April 2021 by academic and industry experts in biotechnology and artificial intelligence. Our mission is to contribute to human well-being by creating novel proteins for therapeutics and industrial applications using our proprietary technology, aiProtein®. The name "RevolKa" is derived from the Latin word for evolution, "evolutio" and the Ainu (an indigenous Japanese people) word for raise, "reska". RevolKa's headquarters and laboratories are located in Sendai, Japan. The company's investors include D3 LLC, Tohoku University Venture Partners Co., Ltd., DEEPCORE Inc., and SBI Investment Co., Ltd. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts RevolKa IwaseEmail: info@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Japan Times
19-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Regional lender Jimoto Holdings exits government control
Shareholders of Jimoto Holdings approved Thursday a plan to resume dividend payments on preferred shares held by the government, allowing the regional banking group to exit from effective government control. The plan was approved at a general shareholders meeting held in the city of Yamagata. In the business year ended in March 2024, Jimoto Holdings incurred a net loss for the second straight year due to the deterioration of earnings at subsidiary Kirayaka Bank, based in Yamagata. The group also has Sendai Bank, based in city of Sendai, under its wing. At a general shareholders meeting in June 2024, Jimoto Holdings decided to forgo dividend payments, giving preferred shares that are held by the government voting rights equivalent to 63% of the total. At an extraordinary shareholders meeting in September last year, Jimoto Holdings revamped its management team, working to improve its profitability. As a result, the holding company regained profitability in the business year ended in March this year, and it decided on a policy of resuming dividend payments. The focus is now on whether the group will be able to repay a total of ¥78 billion in public funds injected into Sendai Bank and Kirayaka Bank as planned. Kirayaka Bank received public funds following the financial crisis triggered by the 2008 collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers. Public funds were again injected into the bank, following the 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami that heavily hit northeastern Japan, and the COVID-19 crisis.
