Pepper-grinder move unwelcome in Japan high school tourney
Lars Nootbaar's imaginary pepper-grinder was the talk of World Baseball Classic games in Japan, but the fun-loving gesture by the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder does not appear welcome in Japan's popular high school baseball tournament. When a player for Tohoku High School twisted his two fists together — imitating Nootbaar — after getting on first base Saturday, the umpire told him to stop. Hiroshi Sato, manager for Tohoku High School, defended his player.
news.yahoo.comJapan PM praises SKorea leader; biz groups vow to boost ties
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says hats off to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for “making a difficult decision and action” by overcoming the troubled history between the two countries, pledging to work with him toward better future relations.
Nootbaar says pepper-grinder sales are 'up quite a bit'
Lars Nootbaar's pepper-grinder gesture is catching on all across Japan, not just at the Tokyo Dome. You see people doing it on the trains, across the counter ordering a coffee and of course among the 40,000 fans who have packed the Tokyo Dome to watch Japan play in the World Baseball Classic. “I heard the pepper grinders around the country, their sales have gone up quite a bit this past week.”
news.yahoo.comCuba beats Australia, reaches 1st WBC semifinal since 2006
Cuba advanced to the World Baseball Classic semifinals for the first time since 2006 with a 4-3 win over Australia as Alfredo Despaigne hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly and Yoelkis Guibert followed with a two-run single in three-run fifth inning.
Yoon: Seoul-Tokyo ties key to address N Korea, supply chains
South Korea’s president wants to quickly overcome decades of lingering hostility left over from Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula and forge a united front on North Korea’s nuclear threats and other regional security and economic challenges facing the neighbors.
Japanese stars Ohtani, Sasaki turn Czech players into fans
Take the case of Czech Republic teammates William Escala and Ondrej Satoria, whose team was eliminated from the WBC on Monday in a 8-3 loss to Australia. Escala crumbled to the ground writhing in pain on Saturday when Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki thumped his left leg with a 100 mph fastball. The 21-year-old Sasaki is a top pitching prospect in Japan, and threw 21 pitches at 100 mph or more against the Czechs.
news.yahoo.comMasks stay put in Japan as 3-year request to wear them ends
Japan on Monday dropped its request for people to wear masks after three years, but hardly anything changed in the country that has had an extremely high regard for their effectiveness at anti-virus protection. During a televised budget committee meeting at parliament, some lawmakers still wore masks, though Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wasn't wearing one when he arrived at his office Monday. Dropping the mask-wearing request is one of the last steps Japan's government is taking in easing COVID-19 rules in public places as it tries to expand business and other activity.
news.yahoo.comChina condemns Japanese plan to release Fukushima water
China on Friday condemned a Japanese plan to release treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, demanding that Tokyo first receive the approval of neighboring countries. China has made similar complaints on a regular basis in the past, but has not said how it would respond if Japan goes ahead with the planned release. China, which Japan invaded in the first half of the last century, has been a constant critic of Tokyo and its security alliance with the U.S., with the ruling Communist Party frequently invoking historical wrongs to rally domestic support and seek to undermine Japan’s global standing.
news.yahoo.comFukushima plant head: Too early to predict decommissioning
The head of Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant says details of the damage inside its reactors are only beginning to be known 12 years after it was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami, making it difficult to foresee when or how its decommissioning will be completed
washingtonpost.comFukushima plant head: Too early to predict decommissioning
The head of Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant says details of the damage inside its reactors are only beginning to be known 12 years after it was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami, making it difficult to foresee when or how its decommissioning will be completed.
Japan air force member sues government in sexual harassment
A Japanese air force serviceperson filed a lawsuit against the government on Monday, saying it had failed to protect her from verbal sexual harassment from a male colleague and then systematically covered up the problem for more than a decade. The plaintiff, who was only identified as a current member of the Air Self Defense Force, faced verbal sexual abuse starting as soon as she was assigned to Naha air base on the southern island of Okinawa in 2010, her lawyers said. The plaintiff is seeking about 11.7 million yen ($85,800) in damages from the government for failing to protect her from the harassment and failing to create a better working environment, and for not countering the criticism she received for speaking out, causing her to suffer for more than 10 years, lawyer Daisuke Tabuchi told reporters.
news.yahoo.comJapan aborts launch of 1st H3 rocket carrying defense censor
Japan’s space agency has aborted the launch of the first of its new flagship series H3 rockets, which was carrying an observation satellite also fitted with an experimental infrared sensor that could detect missile launches
washingtonpost.comNATO chief urges closer ties with Japan to defend democracy
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has sharply criticized China for “bullying its neighbors and threatening Taiwan” and stressed the need for Japan and other democracies to work together with the alliance to defend the international order.
Japanese emperor greets crowd at palace after COVID hiatus
Naruhito offered prayers for people’s happiness and world peace in the appearance Monday beside his wife, Empress Masako, and their daughter. Princess Aiko, who turned 21 in December, was appearing in her first New Year’s public greeting. Legal adulthood is 20 in Japan and a condition for taking part in some events featuring the emperor’s family.
news.yahoo.comJapan offering families $7,600 per child to move out of Tokyo
Japan is offering families 1 million yen (approximately $7,627) per child to move out of Tokyo in hopes of reducing overcrowding. With a population of 125.7 million, 28 percent of Japan's population (approximately 35 million) is focused in Tokyo and its neighboring areas of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba. In 2019, Japan’s Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion emphasized a 47 percent chance of a strong earthquake in Tokyo within the next 30 years.
news.yahoo.comJapan to require COVID-19 tests for all visitors from China
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Tuesday that Japan will tighten border controls for COVID-19 by requiring tests for all visitors from China starting Friday as a temporary emergency measure against the surging infections there. The announcement comes days after the World Health Organization said it was very concerned about rising reports of severe cases across China after the country largely abandoned its “zero-COVID” policy. The quantitative antigen test that is already conducted on entrants suspected of having COVID-19 will be mandatory for all people arriving from mainland China.
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