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The Mainichi
6 days ago
- The Mainichi
Yokohama fireworks event organizer apologizes over fire, wants third-party investigation
YOKOHAMA -- The organizing committee of a fireworks festival here that was canceled halfway through after a fire broke out on a barge has apologized and revealed a plan to set up a third-party panel to investigate the cause of the accident. "We offer our sincerest apologies for causing concern and trouble to local residents and related parties," Hiroyuki Sudo, committee chair and president of the Kanagawa Shimbun daily, told a press conference held by the committee on Aug. 6 at city hall. The fire broke out at around 7:50 p.m. on Aug. 4 during the Minatomirai Smart Festival in Yokohama's Naka Ward. The blaze was extinguished more than 15 hours later around 11:10 a.m. the following day. According to the event organizer, firefighting efforts were withheld for around nine hours from late on Aug. 4 until early next morning to prevent secondary damage from potential explosions. A 53-year-old pyrotechnician was transported to a hospital due to heatstroke. Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka on Aug. 6 requested the organizing committee to "thoroughly find out the cause of the accident." During an emergency meeting held by the committee that afternoon, it decided to fully cooperate with the city fire department and the Yokohama Coast Guard Office in their investigations and to launch a third-party panel. The committee eyes appointing those affiliated with fire and police authorities and university professors as panel members, and plans to compile a report by the end of the year at the earliest. (Japanese original by Daiki Yano, Yokohama Bureau)
The Mainichi
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Groups in Japan ask politicians not to spread hate against foreigners
TOKYO -- A group of human rights organizations has asked politicians to stop saying hateful things about foreigners during the election campaign in Japan. The election for the House of Councillors will be held on July 20. Recently, some political candidates have said negative and incorrect things about foreigners. The groups say these wrong ideas can hurt foreign people living in Japan. On July 8, the groups held a news conference in Tokyo. They said clearly, "We cannot allow lies or discrimination about foreigners during election campaigns." The city of Kawasaki made a special rule in 2020, saying people cannot say bad or hurtful things ("hate speech") about foreigners. During this election time, Kawasaki reminded people on social media that freedom to talk about politics is very important, but hate speech is not allowed. Human rights lawyer Yasuko Morooka said that what Kawasaki is doing is very good. She added that all cities and towns, and even the national government, should say the same thing. On July 3, when the House of Councillors official election campaign started, one political candidate in Kanagawa said in a speech that many foreigners got easy help from the government, while Japanese people had trouble. But the health ministry said clearly that this claim was wrong. Foreigners are about 3.2% of all people getting help from the government, not many, as the candidate said. Yuma Osawa from the "Tsukuroi Tokyo Fund," a group helping people in Tokyo, also explained that it is not true that foreigners can easily get special help, adding that people should only talk using facts, not wrong information. Because more foreigners are now living in Japan than ever before, some political parties have started saying they will make it harder for foreigners to enter Japan. Morooka said that foreign people had told him they feel afraid because of these speeches. As voters, people must "take responsibility and work to change the current situation." (Japanese original by Daiki Yano, Yokohama Bureau) Vocabulary candidate: a person who wants to be chosen to do a special job, such as become a politician hate speech: saying or writing hateful things targeted at other people or groups discrimination: treating some people badly or unfairly because they are different from you human rights: the rights all people should have, like freedom and safety campaign: when politicians do speeches, posters, and other activities to get votes facts: ideas or information that are true and correct
The Mainichi
30-04-2025
- The Mainichi
Japan's Kanagawa Pref. police mistakenly arrest Thai woman for not carrying passport
YOKOHAMA -- Police in eastern Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture mistakenly arrested a Thai woman for not carrying her passport, failing to notice it inside a sanitary napkin in her possession, it has been learned. According to investigative sources, Isezaki Police Station officers arrested the woman around the evening of April 28 for allegedly violating the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act by not carrying her passport. During an initial body check at the scene, police failed to find the passport inside the sanitary napkin. It was only discovered during a subsequent search after her arrest. The police station temporarily released the woman, but arrested her again under the same law on suspicion of residing in the country illegally after a check with immigration authorities reinforced suspicions that she had overstayed her visa. A prefectural police representative commented, "We conducted a thorough investigation, including a body check. At this point, we believe the investigation was appropriate." (Japanese original by Chika Yokomi, Yokohama Bureau)
