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Straits Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Japan to create digital archive of manga, anime and games
Anime and manga fans have increasingly sought to visit the real-world settings of their favorite stories. PHOTO: PEXELS TOKYO - The government is set to launch a new 'digital archive strategy' aimed at preserving and promoting Japan's trove of such cultural assets as manga, anime and video games, which are immensely popular among young people worldwide. The initiative seeks to digitise these cultural treasures and add them to a database, thereby boosting Japan's soft power and attracting people from all over. The government also aims to promote the online distribution of local arts and cultural properties, with the goal of fostering regional revitalisation. The strategy is the first of its kind to be formulated by the government. It outlines a framework and policy for initiatives over a five-year period, from fiscal 2026 to 2030. Work on the strategy began when an expert panel was established in March last year. Two key areas are prioritised. Namely, 'media arts,' which include manga, anime and video games and which have added to Japan's soft power thanks to their global acclaim; and 'regional resources,' which encompasses cultural properties and works of art with a high tourism potential. Within the media arts domain, the strategy outlines the establishment of a national media arts center, which will be tasked with collecting and preserving original manga drawings and animation cells and creating a comprehensive database for these items. In recent years, anime and manga fans have increasingly sought to visit the real-world settings of their favorite stories. The government wants to boost tourism in regions that have these connections by encouraging fans from around the world to visit. To improve the digital preservation and distribution of regional resources, the government will collaborate more closely with local municipalities using Japan Search. This portal allows users to search the materials held by libraries, museums and other institutions nationwide all at once. The strategy emphasises that local communities should lead the decision-making process for preserving local cultural and artistic works, with municipalities playing a central role in expanding and utilising digital archives. This initiative is expected to have a spillover effect, encouraging domestic and international enthusiasts to, after seeing the digitised version of a digital cultural asset, pay a visit to wherever the asset is located. Furthermore, the government aims to document cultural properties as a safeguard against large-scale disasters, ensuring their preservation for future generations. The strategy mirrors efforts by the European Union, which has been developing platforms for cultural assets for some time. 'We want to have a system on par with Europe's in the next 10 years,' said a Japanese government official. THE JAPAN NEWS/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Local government in Japan mulls whether to charge for cost of Mt Fuji helicopter rescues
Local governments near the foot of Mt Fuji in Japan have questioned the use of public funds to rescue people in distress during the off season. PHOTO: AFP Local government in Japan mulls whether to charge for cost of Mt Fuji helicopter rescues KOFU – As more climbers have become stranded on Mt Fuji when the mountain is closed to the public, the Yamanashi prefectural government is considering charging for the cost of helicopter rescues, according to prefectural sources. Local governments near the foot of the mountain in Japan have questioned the use of public funds to rescue people in distress during the off season. The prefecture hopes to discourage climbing during the off season by having those who are rescued cover the costs. According to prefectural officials, the prefectural government is studying the example of Saitama prefecture, which charges for mountain rescues by prefectural disaster prevention helicopters, and are considering whether to introduce such a system. The prefectural government will also sort out issues such as whether to charge for rescues for mountains other than Mt Fuji such as in the Japanese Southern Alps. A male university student of Chinese nationality was rescued twice in one week from Mt Fuji in April during the off season, which sparked criticism by the mayors of Fujinomiya, Shizuoka prefecture, and Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi prefecture, who said that there is a tendency to casually request rescue services using smartphones. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Straits Times
Tokyo experiences temperatures exceeding 30 deg C for first time in 2025
Temperatures above 30 deg C were also observed in other parts of Japan. PHOTO: REUTERS Tokyo experiences temperatures exceeding 30 deg C for first time in 2025 TOKYO - Tokyo experienced its first day of the year with temperatures rising above 30 deg C on May 20 . As a high-pressure system covered the Japanese archipelago, temperatures soared in many places across the nation from the morning. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the temperature reached 33.5 deg C in Hachioji, Tokyo, and other parts of Tokyo also experienced temperatures above 30 deg C. Temperatures above 30 deg C were also observed in other parts of the country, including Toyooka in Hyogo Prefecture and Tottori. In Otsuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, the temperature reached 34 deg C at 2.05pm. In central Tokyo, the temperature rose to 31.1 deg C in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. In the Ginza district of Chuo Ward, Tokyo, many women walked on the streets with parasols. A 57-year-old part-time worker in the ward said, 'It's clammy and hot. I want to finish my errands as soon as possible and go home before the temperature rises further.' THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
17-05-2025
- Straits Times
8 police officers in Japan disciplined over playing online game while at work
The eight used their smartphones to play an online game at the same time multiple times from October to December in 2024. PHOTO: THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK 8 police officers in Japan disciplined over playing online game while at work KOBE - A police officer in Hyogo Prefecture has had his pay cut and his seven subordinates have received warnings over playing an online game while on duty at their respective police boxes, the prefectural police headquarters said on May 16. The 38-year-old officer has been given a 10 per cent pay cut for a month for playing the game online together with the seven others aged 21 to 30. The eight used their smartphones to play the online game at the same time multiple times from October to December in 2024, in which they formed teams to compete against each other, according to the police. The eight played the game for about 20 minutes per session, with some doing so 10 times during the period. They were usually hooked on the game at break rooms at neighbourhood police stations known as koban. Occasionally, such sessions happened while on patrol, according to the police. The police said that the officers' behavior did not affect duties because they suspended playing the game whenever they were called to respond to reports. Their behaviour came to light in November when an anonymous letter was sent to the police. The eight all admitted what they did, with the oldest officer quoted as saying, 'I ended up getting my subordinates involved (in playing the online game while on duty)'. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
17-05-2025
- General
- Straits Times
City in Japan shuts down ‘postboxes' that collected mature magazines, DVDs
A Nagasaki city official posts a notice reading 'closed' on a 'white postbox' in Nagasaki in March. PHOTO: THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK NAGASAKI - After decades of use, Nagasaki retired its 'white postboxes' at the end of March. The mailbox-like receptacles were designed for people to drop off magazines, DVDs and other materials containing depictions of sex or violence. The goal was to keep such materials from being disposed of on riverbanks or at parks, where they might be seen by children. According to an expert, the first white postbox was set up in Hyogo Prefecture in 1963. The trend spread to the rest of the country beginning the next year, when the first Tokyo Olympic Games were held and the movement to protect children from harmful literature gained steam. An official at the Nagasaki prefectural government said Nagasaki installed the postboxes in 1964. More cities in Nagasaki Prefecture followed, creating a faster rollout than in most other prefectures. Currently, the postboxes still stand in 19 of the prefecture's municipalities. However, with the rise of the internet, the need for the receptacles has faded. They have received fewer and fewer drop-offs of publications and DVDs, and people sometimes even use them to dispose of cigarette butts. One early morning in March, three Nagasaki officials visited the nine white postboxes in the city. After emptying the postboxes, they tucked pieces of cardboard into the slots and taped over the cardboard. Then they stuck notices on the receptacles that read 'closed.' THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
