The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Japan

  • Japan cancels friendly with Chile after earthquake

    Japan has cancelled Friday’s international friendly with Chile scheduled to be played at the Sapporo Dome after a powerful earthquake struck the northern island of Hokkaido on Thursday, the country’s soccer federation said.

    The Japan Football Federation ( JFA ) said they had taken the decision after considering the magnitude of damage that included widespread power outages and transportation disruptions, as well as spectator safety.

    “Due to the effects of the earthquake, Japan Football Association has decided to cancel the Kirin Challenge Cup 2018 match between Samurai Blue and Chile national team,” JFA said in a statement on Thursday.

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    The 6.7-magnitude, pre-dawn quake has paralysed Hokkaido, killing at least seven people, triggering landslides and knocking out power to its 5.3 million residents.

    “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected in Hokkaido,” JFA president Tashima Kohzo added.

    The match would have been the first for the new head coach, Hajime Moriyasu in charge of the team. Japan is scheduled to play Costa Rica on Sept. 11 in Osaka.

  • 11 dead, 600 injured as Typhoon Jebi batters Japan

    At least eleven people have been killed and about 600 injured after Typhoon Jebi ripped through Japan, the most powerful storm to hit the country in 25 years, local media reported on Wednesday.

    Of the 11 deaths, eight people died in the western prefecture of Osaka, including four men, who fell from upstairs or the roofs of their houses after apparently being hit by strong winds, broadcaster NHK reported.

    Three others died after they were hit by flying objects, the report said.

    About 3,000 people spent the night at Kansai International Airport after a tanker hit the bridge connecting the offshore airport and the city of Izumisano, NHK said.

    The ship was damaged, but its 11 crew members were not injured.

    Authorities began taking some of those stranded to nearby Kobe Airport, which is also located on an artificial island, by ferry early Wednesday, while others were taken to the mainland by bus.

    The ship, which had been anchored in Osaka Bay, was swept towards the bridge as the storm lashed Osaka.

    The airport remained closed on Wednesday, leading to the cancellation of 162 flights, and it is still unknown when it will be back to normal operation, Kyodo News said.

    One of its runways and the basement floor of a terminal building were flooded.

    About half a million households in Osaka and five nearby prefectures remained without power, as of 11 am (0200 GMT), according to Kansai Electric Power.

    The season’s 21st typhoon was downgraded to an extra-tropical cyclone over the Tatar Strait near Russia at around 9 am, the Meteorological Agency said, after dumping torrential rains on the northern island of Hokkaido overnight, toppling trees and utility poles.

    Jebi made landfall around the southern part of Tokushima prefecture shortly after Tuesday noon, according to the agency.

    Jebi was the latest in a series of weather-related disasters to hit the country in recent months.

    In early July, torrential rains pummeled western Japan, triggering landslides and floods that left 226 people dead and 10 missing.

    It was the country’s deadliest weather-related disaster in more than three decades.

    An intense heatwave that enveloped the country immediately afterwards killed more than 130 people, as temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius in some places.

  • Asian shares gain on U.S.-Mexico trade optimism

    Asian shares advanced again on Tuesday while major currencies held on to gains as the U.S. and Mexico made a deal to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement.

    Oil prices were buoyant, with Brent up 25 cents to 76.46 dollars a barrel and U.S. crude rising 19 cents to 69.07 dollars.

    Investors expect Canada too would agree to the new terms to preserve a three-nation pact, ultimately dispelling the economic uncertainty caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to ditch the 1994 NAFTA accord.

    MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbed 0.3 per cent for a second straight day of gains. Australian shares added 0.5 per cent while Japan’s Nikkei jumped 0.8 per cent.

    New York’s S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes hit record highs and bond yields rose, while prices for copper, considered a barometer of global growth, climbed.

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    Investors will keep an eye on U.S. economic data with consumer confidence figures due later in the day and the latest estimate for second-quarter gross domestic product expected on Wednesday.

    “The NAFTA agreement is clearly a positive to the extent that it reduces the risk of a generalized global trade war,” JPMorgan analysts said in a note.

    The dollar index paused near one-month lows against major currencies to be last at 94.762.

    Against the yen, the greenback held at 111.20.

    The euro held near a one-month top at 1.1680 dollars.

    The Australian dollar, which is often used as a liquid hedge for global growth, hovered around 0.7345 dollars to stay well above a trough of $0.7248.

    The Chinese yuan held near a four-week high to the dollar, a day after the country’s central bank took steps to support the currency.

    Commodity markets showed signs of optimism in global economic growth prospects. Copper, a favoured indicator of industrial momentum, held near a two-week high of 6,112.00 dollars a tonne.

    Gold too was firm too with spot prices at 1211.36 dollars an ounce.

  • Japan send home basketball players for night with women

    Japan have sent home four players from their Asian Games basketball team for spending the night with women in a Jakarta hotel, the head of the delegation Yasuhiro Yamashita, said on Monday.

    The players left the athletes’ village, following their game against Qatar on Thursday to eat at a restaurant where they met a Japanese-speaking local.

    They were then told about a bar where they could meet women, Yamashita told a news conference.

    The quartet, who were wearing their team uniforms, spent a couple of hours at the bar before checking into a hotel with four women, staying there until Friday morning, he added.

    Officials named the players as Takuya Hashimoto, Keita Imamura, Yuya Nagayoshi and Takuma Sato.

    “The Japan National Olympic Committee decided to withdraw their accreditation and send them back to Japan early this morning,” Yamashita said.

    “We have a specific disciplinary code, it’s a clear breach of the code of conduct for the Japanese delegation.

    “The athletes should be role models of society, not only in the sporting venues but also on other occasions.”

    Yamashita said the Japanese Olympic Committee took the issue of discipline in their team very seriously.

    “A day after our arrival here the Chef de Mission and other top officials told the athletes that they had to be role models in Jakarta,” he said.

    “It’s disappointing that after that instruction and encouragement, this kind of issue happened, I deeply apologise to the Japanese people as the head of the delegation.”

    Japan, who won basketball bronze at the last Asian Games four years ago, beat Qatar 82-71 in their second game in Jakarta and top qualifying Group C.

    Their next match is against Hong Kong on Wednesday.

    “The players flew back home at their own expense,” Yamashita added.

    “The remaining eight players, officials and coaches will stay here to continue to play for the rest of the competition.”

    The next Olympics will be hosted by Japan in Tokyo in 2020.

  • S/Korean league games to kick off after sunset

    Record-breaking temperatures that have caused 30 deaths in South Korea have forced the country’s top-flight football league to delay kick-offs until after sunset for the first time this weekend.

    Temperatures hit 39.6°C (103.28°F) in the capital Seoul on Wednesday, their highest since weather authorities began monitoring in 1907.

    Lee Jong-kwoun, a K League public relations official, told Reuters on Friday that it had been monitoring temperatures for the past week and after discussions with the clubs agreed to push back kick-off times.

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    “We don’t have a specific temperature guideline, but with the heatwave continuing for more than a week, we made the decision for the sake of the players’ health and for the safety and convenience of spectators,” Lee said by telephone.

    It was the first time the K League had ever had to delay matches to beat the heat, Lee added.

    He said that it was unlikely games would be cancelled and that there were already special measures in place that allowed referees to give players water breaks in extreme heat.

    Earlier in the week, the Korea Baseball Organisation said it was considering a request from players to reschedule games due to the heatwave, which is expected to continue well into August.

    South Korean health officials have said the temperatures have caused 30 deaths and left 2,549 people needing treatment for heat-related illnesses.

    Neighboring Japan is also in the grip of scorching temperatures, which is giving rise to concerns about athlete safety when Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympics in two years’ time.

    Earlier this year, experts warned of the risks of heat-stroke at the Games, with conditions reaching levels at which sporting activities would normally be halted in the country

  • Ministry begins probe of $450m export to Japan

    Debunks allegation of Nigeria as source of export  

    Minister of Environment, ‎Ibrahim Usman Jibril, on Thursday disclosed that the ministry has commenced probe of alleged export of Pangolin scales worth $450 million from Nigeria to Japan.

    The animal scales put at about 7,100 kilograms by the Japanese Customs Service was said to have originated from Nigeria.

    Pangolin is among the endangered species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which Nigeria is a signatory.

    The Minister in a statement, signed by the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Environment, Sagir Mohammed in Abuja refuted the allegation while the seizure was described as the second highest seizure of its kind.

    Jibril argued that scales of the endangered animals could not have originated from the country stressing that Pangolins were near extinction in the country.

    According to statement, it was very unsettling when the minister received the information that the Hong Kong Customs made the discovery in a container at the Tsing Yi Cargo Examination Compound, and mentioned Nigeria as the source.

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    It reads: “‎The Ministry has initiated the investigation of the reported illegal trade by communicating officially with the Hong Kong CITES Management Authority with a view of furnishing us with the documents that will be forwarded to INTERPOL for further investigation.”

    “Nigeria is being used as a transit route for illegal wildlife trade and the image of our nation is being severed.’’

    He added that Nigeria signed and ratified the CITES in 1974 and to give municipal credence to this Convention, Nigeria promulgated the Endangered Species (Control of International Trade and Traffic) Decree No.11 in 1985 now enacted as Endangered Species Act 2016.

    While stating that ‎Pangolin is a highly protected an endangered species and listed on Appendix I of the CITES, as well as on Schedule I of the National Endangered Species Act, 2016, Jibril however noted that the ministry was partnering with the Interpol to launch probe into the allegation.

    “CITES is the pre-eminent global legal instrument for regulating international trade in wild animals and plant. CITES objective is to ensure that International trade in wild fauna and flora does not compromise the protection of endangered species, hence the illegal trade in this species and its derivatives are absolutely prohibited”, he stated.

    The minister reaffirmed government’s role as focal point of CITES implementation and its commitment to conserving wild species in the country, emphasising that the species are almost driven into extinction due to over exploitation, habitat change and illicit trafficking.

    “It is in view of the above that there has not been any case of illegal wildlife trade from Nigeria as a source Country. However, globalization allows and encourages International trade which traffickers have exploited and exposed us to some of these unwholesome practices which we frown at as a nation and defender of endangered species,” he added.

  • Buhari condoles with Japan over deaths

    President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the government and people of Japan over the loss of life and property following a heavy downpour which caused flooding and landslides.

    In a Letter to the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, President Buhari described the tragedy as an “unprecedented weather disaster”.

    The President said the government and people of Nigeria extended their sympathy and prayers for the Japanese as they surmount the fall out of the sad incident.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said: “On behalf of the government and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I write to commiserate with the Government and people of Japan, following last week’s torrential rain that caused floods and subsequent landslides in Western Japan, killing over 167 persons and forcing millions to evacuate their homes, while dozens remain missing.

    “It is sad that the weather disaster, the worst since 1982, destroyed livelihood. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the distressed population and indeed the entire people of your country during this period of national grief.

    “I am confident that you will quickly recover from this tragedy and show resilience while embarking on the rebuilding process.”

  • Buhari condoles with Japan over landslide deaths

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday commiserated with the Government and people of Japan over the loss of lives and property following a heavy downpour that resulted in flooding and landslides.

    Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, said Buhari’s condolence message was contained in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe.

    President Buhari, who described the tragedy as an “unprecedented weather disaster’’, said the government and people of Nigeria extended their sympathy and prayers for the Japanese as they surmount the fall out of the sad incident.

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    President Buhari said: “On behalf of the government and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I write to commiserate with the Government and people of Japan, following last week’s torrential rain that caused floods and subsequent landslides in Western Japan, killing over 176 and forcing millions to evacuate their homes while dozens remain missing.

    “It is indeed sad that the unprecedented weather disaster, the worst since 1982, has caused massive destruction to livelihood in the flood stricken areas.

    “Our thoughts and sympathy are with the distressed population and indeed the entire people of your country during this period of national grief.’’

    President Buhari expressed the hope that the government and people of Japan would quickly recover from the tragedy and show resilience while embarking on the rebuilding process.

  • 38 dead, nearly 50 reported missing as heavy rain hits Japan

    TORRENTS of rainfall and flooding battered a widespread area in southwestern Japan yesterday, with local media casualty reports climbing quickly. Public broadcaster NHK said 38 people were dead, four were injured seriously and 47 were missing.

    Television footage showed a residential area in Okayama prefecture seeped in brown water spreading like a huge lake. Some people fled to rooftops and balconies and waved furiously at hovering rescue helicopters.

    Okayama prefecture said a man caught in a landslide died, and six others were missing. Evacuation orders had been issued to more than 360,000 people, the prefecture said in a statement.

    Throughout the affected areas, parked cars sat in pools of water. NHK TV said water had reached as high as five meters (16 feet) in the worst-hit areas.

    Kyodo news service, which put the death tally at 34 people, said one death was in a landslide in Hiroshima, which had set off a fire, while the body of a child was found in another area. NHK said a woman died in her home in Hiroshima when it got buried in a mudslide.

    Assessing overall casualties was a challenge because of the widespread damage. NHK repeatedly urged those awaiting rescue to not lose hope.

    In Ehime prefecture, a woman was found dead on the second floor of a home hit by a landslide, Kyodo said. Also in Ehime, two elementary-school girls and their mother who got sucked into a mudslide were rescued but their hearts weren’t beating, it said.

    Kyoto prefecture said it was working to control flooding at several dams and identified one fatality as a 52-year-old woman.

    Military water trucks were rushing to areas where water systems were no longer working, Okayama prefecture said. Troops in camouflage outfits helped people and pets reach dry land on small military boats.

    Evacuation orders or advisories were sent for 4.72 million people, and 48,000 members of the Self-Defense Forces, police and fire fighters were mobilized for search missions, according to Kyodo.

  • Education official arrested for accepting bribe

    A high-ranking official of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was arrested Wednesday for allegedly accepting a bribe in exchange for a personal favour, Tokyo prosecutors said.

    Futoshi Sano, the director-general and former deputy vice minister, is alleged to have received a bribe from a private university in Tokyo to accept his child, in return for supporting a project at the university.

    The special squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office said Sano allegedly received the bribe from the university in May 2017.

    They also said Sano’s child passed the university’s entrance examination in February.

    Sano has held the post of director-general of the Science and Technology Policy Bureau at the ministry since July 2017. (Xinhua/NAN)