Ahead of the convening of the Diet, certificates of election have been offered on February 14th to these elected via proportional illustration, lots of whom secured seats because the LDP gained numerous single-member districts, permitting lower-ranked candidates on proportional lists to be elected. For many, the outcome got here as a shock.

The phenomenon has drawn comparisons to the “Koizumi Children,” a gaggle of first-time lawmakers elected in massive numbers through the 2005 election beneath then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Some of these lawmakers went on to carry senior positions, together with present Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, whereas others misplaced their seats after a single time period.

Nagisa Muraki, 25, the youngest newly elected feminine lawmaker within the newest election, mentioned the label “children” could be divisive. “It’s a term that people have mixed feelings about,” Muraki mentioned when requested about being known as one of many “Takaichi Children.”

Muraki, whose father is a member of the Hokkaido prefectural meeting, ran within the Hokkaido proportional illustration block. Ranked 14th out of 15 candidates on the record, her probabilities of successful had been thought-about slim in a area historically seen as a stronghold for the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. She mentioned she had centered on supporting district candidates through the marketing campaign, noting that seats not often reached candidates ranked so low on the record in previous elections. Her eventual victory got here as a shock even to her.

“I take the responsibility very seriously,” Muraki mentioned, including that she intends to work diligently within the seat she believes was secured partly as a result of excessive expectations for the Takaichi administration.

A latest FNN opinion ballot carried out over the primary weekend after the election confirmed the cupboard’s approval score at 72.0%, up 1.2 factors from the earlier survey and remaining at a excessive degree. Meanwhile, 55.6% of respondents mentioned they considered the election outcome—giving the LDP greater than two-thirds of the seats within the Lower House—positively.

On February sixteenth on the Prime Minister’s Office, Takaichi was greeted by an uncommon customer: “Tunk Tunk,” the mascot for the International Horticultural Expo scheduled to be held in Yokohama in 2027, which known as out cheerfully to the prime minister. Takaichi responded playfully, asking how she appeared that day, to which the mascot replied, “You look wonderful,” prompting a lighthearted alternate.

Among the newly elected lawmakers are additionally members of Team Mirai, which secured 11 seats via proportional illustration. Yuya Mineshima, one among its first-time lawmakers, mentioned he hopes to attract on his expertise dwelling abroad, including that the emergence of a second Trump administration had highlighted deep divisions overseas and underscored the necessity for political forces in Japan able to stopping related polarization.

Muraki mentioned she is wanting ahead to the examine periods held within the mornings for brand new lawmakers. One of the few moments she smiled throughout interviews that day got here when she spoke about her interest of watching movies. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but I like Iron Man,” she mentioned, explaining that she was impressed by the protagonist’s transformation after witnessing the human price of the weapons he helped create.

Source: FNN

The prosecutor, recognized as Hikari, has filed a civil swimsuit in opposition to former Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office chief Kentaro Kitagawa, who’s going through prices together with quasi-forcible sexual assault, in addition to the nationwide authorities and different events, arguing that the prosecution group failed to stop additional hurt after the incident. She is in search of about 83 million yen in damages.

Hikari says she reported the assault to authorities however felt no ample response was taken, and he or she filed the lawsuit partially to carry the prosecution group accountable for failing to stop secondary victimization. She has been recognized with post-traumatic stress dysfunction and has been unable to return to work.

Kitagawa, who was appointed head of the Osaka workplace in 2018, is accused of taking Hikari, who had been ingesting and was unable to withstand after a gathering with subordinates, to official quarters and sexually assaulting her. He initially admitted to the costs and apologized throughout earlier proceedings final yr however later claimed he believed there had been consent and pleaded not responsible, delaying the trial’s progress. More than a yr has handed since then with out the following listening to being scheduled.

Hikari says she initially threw herself into work after the incident and couldn’t inform her husband about what had occurred for a couple of yr. Her husband, talking publicly for the primary time, expressed anger over the prosecution’s response and described the pressure on their household as she struggled with sleep and relied on medicine to proceed working earlier than being recognized with PTSD about 5 years after the incident.

After mustering the braveness to report the assault to her superiors and taking depart, Hikari says she later discovered that data figuring out her because the sufferer and even private particulars about her husband had unfold not solely throughout the Osaka workplace but additionally to different prosecutors workplaces and the Justice Ministry. She says this left her remoted and feeling unsafe. It was additionally revealed {that a} deputy prosecutor who attended the identical gathering the place the alleged assault occurred had disclosed her title throughout the group. Although she requested the deputy be transferred away from her office, the request was not instantly accepted, and the deputy finally acquired solely a minor disciplinary warning.

Hikari’s representatives say emails despatched from senior Osaka prosecutors criticized her media feedback and prompt that talking out may make it tough for the workplace to supply explanations. They additionally say that regardless of her participation within the victim-participation system, she acquired little data from prosecutors concerning the progress of Kitagawa’s felony case, together with whether or not further investigations have been being performed or what points could be contested in courtroom.

Her authorized crew argues that the prosecution, which ought to have supported the sufferer, as an alternative grew to become a supply of additional misery, leaving her remoted. They recommend choices on how to reply to her might have been directed by higher-level officers throughout the group.

Hikari is asking for the institution of an impartial third-party panel to research and implement measures to stop comparable incidents, however prosecutors say they have already got harassment-response channels and have taken mandatory steps. The Justice Ministry and the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office declined to remark, citing that they’d not but acquired the lawsuit.

In the swimsuit in opposition to the state, Hikari argues that authorities failed of their responsibility to make sure her security by not stopping the unfold of her identification and by not reassigning the deputy prosecutor from the office she hoped to return to. She says she continues to hunt solely a protected working setting.

More than seven years after the alleged assault, Hikari’s battle now extends past the felony case in opposition to Kitagawa to a broader authorized problem in opposition to the prosecution group itself. Observers say the case raises questions on how establishments reply to victims who flip to the justice system for assist, and whether or not inside buildings might discourage accountability when issues come up throughout the group.

Source: KTV NEWS

The swarm of drones, every geared up with LED lights, flew for about quarter-hour at an altitude of round 200 meters, forming roughly 20 completely different designs throughout the evening sky. Among the pictures had been characters impressed by the loyal canine Hachiko in addition to coronary heart motifs celebrating Valentine’s Day.

The present was held as a part of DIG SHIBUYA 2026, an occasion that showcases know-how, artwork and the most recent cultural developments. Last yr’s present featured 2,200 drones and set a nationwide report on the time. That mark was later surpassed by a drone efficiency on the Osaka-Kansai Expo, however the newest occasion in Shibuya has reclaimed the report for the most important variety of drones utilized in a present in Japan.

Source: 産経ニュース

In Tokyo, the Asakawa River, which flows via Hino and different areas, has partially dried as much as the purpose the place folks can stroll throughout sections of the riverbed. Aerial footage reveals that the movement of water has practically stopped. The lack of rain over the previous month, significantly alongside the Pacific coast, has left situations unusually dry nationwide.

A close-by resident stated that whereas winter sometimes brings decrease water ranges, that they had by no means seen the river so depleted. The reservoir degree at Okutama’s Ogouchi Dam, sometimes called Tokyo’s “water reservoir,” stood at 40.8% as of February thirteenth, falling under the bottom degree recorded because the begin of the Heisei period. Tokyo authorities are urging residents to preserve water.

The state of affairs is analogous in neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture. At Lake Tsukui in Sagamihara, a scenic spot identified for winter smelt fishing, areas that might usually be submerged at the moment are utterly dry. Stone steps constructed from piled rocks have been seen rising from the mud, believed to be remnants of a settlement that after existed there. A rental boat operator stated the enterprise has been utterly closed since November final yr as a result of lack of water.

At close by Shiroyama Dam, the reservoir degree stood at simply 12% as of February sixteenth.

In western Japan, water provide restrictions have already begun. In Kochi City and 14 municipalities in Fukuoka Prefecture, authorities have began decreasing water strain to curb consumption. Kochi’s restrictions mark the primary in 28 years.

Dry climate has additionally contributed to an increase in influenza circumstances. According to the well being ministry, about 3,000 medical establishments nationwide reported a median of 43.34 influenza sufferers per facility within the week ending February eighth, roughly 1.5 instances the earlier week and the fifth consecutive weekly enhance. A clinic director stated viruses have a tendency to stay airborne longer in dry situations, making infections extra seemingly.

The Japan Meteorological Agency expects below-average rainfall to proceed for about one other month.

In central Tokyo on February sixteenth, temperatures reached ranges typical of early April, solely to swing again towards winter later that night time. Snow was forecast for Tokyo’s 23 wards, with doable accumulation relying on situations.

The extended dry climate has additionally precipitated extreme river depletion in Shizuoka. The Abe River, which runs via Shizuoka City, has skilled a phenomenon referred to as “sekire,” during which water movement stops and the riverbed dries out. Aerial photographs present lengthy stretches of uncovered riverbed close to the mouth, with white streaks of dried sediment seen throughout a width of about 700 meters.

Officials say the drought has prolonged the size of the dry part to as a lot as 10 kilometers upstream from the river mouth since early January. The space depends on the Abe River for ingesting and industrial water, drawing largely from underground sources related to the river. If rainfall stays scarce and the river doesn’t get well, groundwater ranges might fall additional, elevating issues about future water consumption.

In Fukuoka’s Asakura City, the Egawa Dam has additionally seen vital declines. With simply 12 millimeters of rain in January—about one-fifth of the traditional degree and the bottom in a century—water ranges have dropped up to now that stone partitions from former settlements have reappeared. Combined reservoir ranges at six main dams within the prefecture stood at 15.1% as of February thirteenth, close to file lows. Authorities are urging residents to preserve water to keep away from scheduled outages.

Meanwhile, snowfall of as much as 3 centimeters is forecast in western Tama by the morning of February seventeenth, with icy highway situations doable in central Tokyo. A bus driver expressed concern about slippery slopes and the danger of falls amongst aged residents if snow accumulates.

As the nation faces each drought and sudden chilly snaps, the continued lack of rain is creating widespread challenges for every day life and public well being.

Source: TBS