Police have arrested a 58-year-old truck driver on suspicion of hit-and-run after a truck hit and killed a 1-year-old boy on a nationwide freeway in Higashimatsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture, after which fled the scene.
Couples in Japan Fight for Separate Surnames
TOKYO, Mar 09 (News On Japan) –
A gaggle of 12 people residing in Tokyo and different areas has filed a lawsuit towards the Japanese authorities, claiming that the Civil Code’s provisions that don’t acknowledge married {couples}’ option to retain separate surnames violate the Constitution.
Despite the Supreme Court’s Grand Bench ruling twice that the supply is constitutional, the plaintiffs argue for a change within the “unreasonable system that forces one member of a couple to give up their surname in order to marry.” The lawsuit was filed by 5 common-law {couples} and one married couple from Tokyo, Nagano, Hokkaido, and different areas.
On March eighth, they submitted a grievance to the district courts in Tokyo and Sapporo, demanding compensation and asserting that the Civil Code and Family Register Law’s provisions violate the constitutional assure of freedom of marriage and are due to this fact invalid. The plaintiffs and their authorized crew contend that altering one’s surname upon marriage could make it troublesome to keep up the popularity and credit score related to the previous identify and that many individuals really feel a lack of id.
Couples who’ve opted for common-law marriage because of the reluctance to marry below the present system face disadvantages corresponding to inheritance points, resulting in a relentless state of unease.
The identical provision has been examined twice by the Supreme Court’s Grand Bench, which consists of all 15 justices, in 2015 and 2021, and on each events, the bulk opinion was that it didn’t violate the Constitution. However, there have been dissenting justices who believed it did violate the Constitution—5 in 2015 and 4 in 2021.
One of the plaintiffs from Tokyo, who has been in a common-law marriage along with his accomplice for 17 years and has a center school-aged daughter, Mr. Mitsuru Nezu (pseudonym), stated, “My daughter is unable to receive various legal benefits. I don’t want to leave an unreasonable system that doesn’t allow us to marry unless one of us gives up our surname to the next generation.”
The head of the plaintiffs’ authorized crew, legal professional Makiko Terahara, said, “We filed the lawsuit because, despite the Supreme Court indicating that the issue should be discussed in the Diet, there has been no movement. We are arguing that this is not a political issue but a human rights issue, and we hope that the judiciary will finally put an end to this violation of human rights.”
Source: NHK
Possible heavy snowfall alongside mountains in Niigata, Nagano and northern Kanto; watch out of visitors impacts | NHK
Due to the winter-like atmospheric strain distribution, snow is falling primarily alongside the mountains in Kanto-Koshinetsu, and there’s a threat of heavy snow in Niigata Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, and northern Kanto. The Japan Meteorological Agency is urging individuals to watch out in regards to the results of snow and frozen roads on visitors.
Epic New Fantasies Star Spartans and Samurai
TOKYO, Mar 09 (News On Japan) –
Two new manga sequence, “RED RULE” and “Fist of Aphasia” have launched within the April subject of Bessatsu Shonen Magazine (Kodansha), following the adventures of Spartans and Samurai.
“RED RULE” is a heroic story set in historical Sparta, Greece, and follows the lifetime of a younger boy named Iason, born into the slave class referred to as helots and service provider slaves. Living beneath the dominion of Spartan residents, Iason strives to meet his late father’s dying want to incite a slave revolt, for which his father was publicly executed. As he dedicates himself to coaching for this rebellion, a fateful day arrives when his sister Helene is attacked by a Spartan citizen.
The protagonist of “Shitsugo no ken [Fist of Aphasia],” is a martial artist who wields mystical arts and is the 81st successor of the centuries-old Isshin-ryu dojo. The story begins with the arrival of a authorities intelligence officer on the dojo requesting to analyze an unrecorded “Dark Age” in historical past.
Source: Natalie
Aid to Gaza Transporting items by sea Focus on whether or not it may be delivered rapidly | NHK
In order to offer assist to the Gaza Strip, the place combating between Israel and the Islamic group Hamas continues, the European Union (EU) has expressed its intention to start transporting help provides by sea, which it has been coordinating with the United States and different international locations, as early as this weekend. On the opposite hand, the US aspect says it’s going to take a number of weeks to start importing the products, so the main focus is on whether or not they are often delivered rapidly.
Oscars producers promise cameos and surprises for Sunday’s present
With simply day to go till the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, the present’s producers are feeling good about what they’ve put collectively.
The nominees are a few of…
Source
Tourists Flock to Osaka’s Tallest Skycraper
OSAKA, Mar 09 (News On Japan) –
Osaka’s towering skyscraper Abeno Harukas celebrated its tenth anniversary this week, with the overall variety of guests exceeding 370 million since its opening on March 7, 2014.
Harukas serves because the terminal constructing for the Kintetsu Osaka Abenobashi Station. Until the opening of the 330-meter Mori JP Tower in Minato Ward, Tokyo, final 12 months, it reigned because the tallest constructing in Japan for about 9 and a half years.
The 60-story constructing, with 5 basement ranges, homes the Kintetsu Department Store’s essential department, an remark deck, workplace areas, the Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel, and an artwork museum.
Source: Kyodo
Osprey flight suspension lifted; considerations raised over restart within the US | NHK
Following the crash of a US army Osprey transport airplane off the coast of Yakushima, Kagoshima Prefecture in November final 12 months, the US army had taken measures to droop Osprey flights, however this was lifted on the eighth for the primary time in about three months. Did. However, Osprey accidents have been occurring one after one other in numerous locations, and there are considerations concerning the resumption of flights within the United States.
How non-English language cinema is reshaping the Oscars panorama
Over the previous few years, the Oscars have taken a decidedly worldwide flip.
This yr, of the ten movies nominated for an Academy Award for greatest image, three of them – “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Past Lives” and “The Zone of Interest” – are non-English language movies.
In the primary 20 years of the Academy Awards, solely three overseas movies – all European – earned Oscar nominations: the 1938 French movie “La Grande Illusion,” which was nominated for greatest image, or excellent manufacturing, because it was then identified; the 1944 Swiss movie “Marie Louise,” which was the primary overseas movie to win an Academy Award, for greatest screenplay; and the 1932 French movie “À nous la liberté,” nominated for greatest manufacturing design.
As a scholar of movie historical past, I see the latest recognition of non-English language movies as the results of demographic adjustments within the trade and throughout the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself.
Hollywood’s dominance wanes
During World War II, Hollywood skilled document monetary success, with one-third of its income coming from overseas markets – primarily the United Kingdom and Latin America. The trade leveraged the enchantment of American motion pictures to make use of them as cultural ambassadors to advertise democratic beliefs. Notably, a preferred movie like “Casablanca” not solely entertained audiences but additionally served as potent anti-fascist propaganda.
After the battle, co-productions and distribution agreements with overseas studios opened new markets, boosting Hollywood’s financial affect and reinforcing English language cinema’s world dominance.
However, by the late Nineteen Forties, Hollywood skilled some challenges: Studios misplaced an anti-trust case that challenged their monopoly over producing, distributing and exhibiting movies, whereas tv threatened to siphon away theatergoers. With studios present process main finances and manufacturing cuts, a 1949 Fortune journal article posed the query “Movies: The End of an Era?”
During that very same interval, artwork movie actions in nations akin to Sweden, France, Italy and Japan arose to contest Hollywood’s dominance, respiration new life into the cinematic arts.
These works contrasted sharply with Hollywood movies, a lot of which had develop into formulaic by the Fifties and had been constrained by an outdated censorship code.
A class of their very own
Between 1947 and 1956, overseas movies obtained honorary Oscars, with France and Italy dominating the accolades. In 1956, the class of “best foreign language film” was formally established as an annual recognition, marking a pivotal second in Oscars historical past.
However, any movie nominated in that class can be eligible to be nominated within the broader greatest image class. The solely stipulation is that it must have had a theatrical run in a Los Angeles County industrial movie show for at the very least seven consecutive days.
Until this yr, solely 10 overseas movies have garnered this twin nomination.
In 2020, the South Korean movie “Parasite” turned the primary non-English language movie to win each greatest worldwide characteristic movie – previously generally known as greatest overseas language movie – and greatest image. Director Bong Joon-Ho additionally received the award for greatest director that yr. Accompanied by an interpreter, he gave his acceptance speech in Korean.
During the 2019 Oscars, Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón – launched in Spanish by actor Javier Bardem – accepted the Academy Award for what was then nonetheless referred to as greatest overseas language movie for his movie “Roma.” During his speech, he joked that he had grown up “watching foreign language films and learning so much from them. … Films like ‘Citizen Kane,’ ‘Jaws,’ ‘Rashomon,’ ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Breathless.’”
Breathing new life into movie
Cuarón’s feedback wryly query why English is taken into account the default language of a world trade. They additionally spotlight how the classes of “Hollywood film” and “foreign film” aren’t essentially mutually unique.
As up to now, lots of the filmmakers pushing the boundaries of the medium are from exterior the U.S. This isn’t on account of an absence of expertise throughout the U.S.; as an alternative, it’s largely on account of an absence of institutional funding for unbiased productions.
On the opposite hand, in nations akin to France, Germany, Canada, South Korea and Iran, there are state-sponsored applications to help filmmakers. These applications, which purpose to advertise nationwide cultural expression, enable for extra experimentation.
In latest a long time, the cinematic panorama has been revitalized by actions from overseas, akin to Denmark’s Dogma 95 collective, South Korea’s IMF noir style and Greek Weird Wave movies. Filmmakers related to these actions usually transition to creating English language cinema.
Take Yorgos Lanthimos, director of the Best Picture nominee “Poor Things.” Lanthimos first gained recognition for his contributions to the Greek Weird Wave, a cinematic motion that makes use of absurdist humor to critique societal norms and energy constructions. It emerged through the nation’s financial disaster within the 2010s.
Similarly, “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho, identified for his earlier Korean language movies, is emblematic of the IMF noir motion, which explored the profound repercussions of the late Nineteen Nineties monetary disaster in South Korea that was brought on by insurance policies dictated by the International Monetary Fund.
The nomination course of
As Michael Schulman, writer of “Oscar Wars,” argues, viewing the Academy Awards as a “pure barometer of artistic merit or worth” is a mistake.
Numerous elements, together with the aggressiveness of Oscar marketing campaign strategists and publicists working across the clock, in addition to the composition of the awards committee, exert nice affect over the result.
In the case of overseas movies, the method is twofold. To safe an Oscar nomination as a rustic’s entry, a overseas movie should first acquire approval from a committee in its native nation. It is then submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and subjected to a vote by the academy. Only one entry is allowed per nation.
The intricate dynamics of this course of are illustrated by the case of the French movie “Anatomy of a Fall,” which was nominated for a greatest image Academy Award however not greatest worldwide characteristic from France. This determination was influenced by France’s small nationwide nominating committee, which, disconnected from the present local weather of the U.S. academy, favored the nostalgic, culinary romance “The Taste of Things,” starring Juliette Binoche.
A extra various academy
The function of the voting committee in figuring out which movies even attain consideration can’t be overstated. Over the previous couple of years, that is what has most radically modified within the academy. In 2012, its composition was 94% white, 77% male and had a median age of 62.
As highlighted by Schulman, the #Oscarssowhite controversy in 2015 spurred adjustments to the academy’s make-up, within the hopes of addressing the trade’s under-recognition of the achievements of individuals of colour.
There was additionally a concerted effort to boost geographical variety and infuse the awards with a extra world perspective. In 2016, the brand new invitees to the academy had been extra various: 46% had been feminine, 41% had been nonwhite, and so they got here from 59 totally different nations. This yr, a groundbreaking 93 nations submitted nomination ballots, signifying unprecedented world participation within the Oscars.
Perhaps most importantly, starting in 2024, the academy has required that, for a movie to qualify for a Best Picture nomination, it should meet two out of 4 requirements established by the academy.
The standards embrace having at the very least one lead or important supporting actor from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, or centering the primary storyline on an underrepresented group. They additionally require illustration in artistic management positions and crew roles, together with paid apprenticeships for underrepresented teams. Even senior advertising and marketing groups require illustration. All of those necessities lend themselves to the inclusion of extra worldwide movie nominees.
Streaming distribution has additionally democratized entry to non-English language cinema, which was beforehand restricted solely to area of interest audiences in artwork home theaters in giant cities.
The distribution firm Neon, established in 2017, has been one other essential consider reshaping the Oscars panorama. Led by Elissa Federoff, Neon is dedicated to breaking trade boundaries, diversifying content material, transcending language boundaries and interesting with youthful audiences via platforms like YouTube and TikTookay. Neon distributed each “Parasite” and “Anatomy of a Fall.”
As the Oscars evolve right into a extra globally aware platform, the way forward for movie appears destined to be formed by those that suppose past the constraints of what was as soon as thought-about “foreign,” and stay advocates for the common language of the cinema.
Kerry Hegarty is **Associate Professor of Film Studies, Miami University**.
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The Emperor’s household receives explanations about assist actions within the catastrophe space from JRCS officers | NHK
On the eighth, the Emperor’s household acquired an evidence of native assist actions from the president of the Japanese Red Cross Society and medical workers who labored within the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
