Sep. 4, 6pm The Latest NEWS

0:00Friday September 4, this is the the Asahi Shimbun Asia and Japan Watch News briefing. Slowing Typhoon No. 24 to remain near Okinawa through September 8, Typhoon No. 24 slowed near southwestern Japan on September 4 and could linger over waters near Okinawa through around September 8, prolonging heavy rain and flood risks across a wide area of the country. As of 6am on September 4, the storm was about 170 kilometers northwest of Amami, Kagoshima prefecture, traveling northwest at 20 kilometers per hour. It had a central pressure of 990 hectapascals, with maximum sustained winds of 72 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 108 kilometers per hour. Meanwhile, an autumn rainfront that moves southward is expected to remain nearly stationary near the southern coast of Hanchu through around September 6.

1:01Warm, humid air flowing in from the Typhoon is forecast to fuel extended heavy rain across a broad swath of the country. The Japan Meteorological Agency forecast torrential rain for parts of western Japan on September 4 and urged residents to remain on the alert for flooding in low-lying areas, swollen rivers and landslides. A linear rainband capable of producing extremely heavy rainfall could form through the night of September 4 in Kochi, Oita, Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, the JMA said. Northern and eastern Japan also face risks of landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and rising rivers. Heavy rain could continue through around September 7 depending on the Typhoon's track and the movement of the rainfront, the JMA said. The Agency forecast the following rainfall totals. For the 24-hour period ending at 6am on September 5, up to 300 millimeters is expected in Shikoku, 250 millimeters in southern Kyushu, 200 millimeters in northern Kyushu and the Yamami

2:03Island chain, and 150 millimeters in the Kinky region. The following 24 hours through September 6 may see 150 millimeters of rain in Kinky, Shikoku in southern Kyushu while Tokyo, northern Kyushu and the Yamami Islands could see 120 millimeters. Meanwhile, 100 millimeters is anticipated to fall in the Kanto-Koshin region and the Isubi Island chain. During the 24-hour period ending at 6am on September 7, rainfall is forecast to reach 200 millimeters in Tokyo and Shikoku. The Kanto Koshin and Kinky regions as well as the Isub Islands can expect 150 millimeters while southern Kyushu may see 100 millimeters. Young Japanese lawmakers to visit China in bid to restore ties. The Japan China Friendship Parliamentarians Union, a cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers, is arranging for its young members to visit China in September to explore ways to restore bilateral

3:03relations. Hiroshi Moriyama, Chairman of the Union, said September 3 that the delegation will consist of young lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties. China is also making arrangements for a Chinese team to meet with the Japanese delegates, Moriyama said. Japan China ties unravelled after Prime Minister Sun Aitikai Chi said in the diet in November last year that a possible war involving Taiwan could constitute a situation threatening Japan's survival, which would allow Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Although exchanges between lawmakers from the two countries have remained stalled since Tukai Chi's remark, Shunichi Isa, a lower-house member of the centrist reform alliance, Shudo, visited China in August and met with the deputy chief of the international department of the Chinese Communist Party. Bitter lessons from 1989 behind Akihito's wish to downsize Funeral. When the death of Emperor Hirohito ended the Showa era on January 7, 1989, Japan entered a dark mood of voluntary restraints for an extended

4:09period of mourning. Numerous events were cancelled, and even weddings were postponed. Two funeral ceremonies were held at Tokyo's Shinjuku-Jun National Garden on February 24, 1989. The Sojodanogi and Imperial right equivalent to a public funeral service was followed by the Taiso No-Rai, the state funeral. About 10,000 people from Japan and abroad paid their respects. Shinjuku-Jun was closed for about two and a half months starting from the preparation stage, including venue construction. Extensive traffic restrictions were imposed in Tokyo and surrounding areas. Emperor Emeritus Akihito, while he was still on the throne, strongly wished that his own funeral would be kept simple, Imperial household agency sources said. He often told AIDS that it must not disrupt the daily lives of the people. A long time aid who served Akihito and his wife, Emperor Samaritamichko, said the social impact caused by Hirohito's funeral was remembered as a

5:10bitter experience. In addition to concerns over the pervasive mood of self-restraint, Akihito harbored doubts about the necessity of grandiose funeral ceremonies, the sources said. A traditional morning period in Funerary Right known as Mogari lasted for about 50 days until Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, was laid to rest. For 37 of those days, the coffin was placed in the hinkyu, a temporary chamber for lying in state, set up inside the Matsuno-Mas state room of the Imperial Palace. Hirohito's favorite meals during his lifetime were offered daily, and rituals were performed every 10 days. The cost of the funeral, the construction of the Imperial Mausoleum and other associated events totaled about 10 billion yen, $64 million. In line with Akihito's wishes, the Imperial household agency began studying ways to simplify the funeral arrangements at an early stage behind the scenes. The Sojodanogi is expected to be held in the Imperial Palace as Matsuno Ma, with a number of attendees reduced to a maximum of 2500

6:16sources said. The agency is also considering splitting the series of ceremonies into two days. At the time of Hirohito's funeral, the proceedings ran until 9 pm. The Taiso no-ray, which is hosted by the government, will be left to the judgment of a cabinet. The Mausoleum for Akihito and Michiko would cover 7,870 square meters, substantially smaller than the 13,500 square meters allocated for Hirohito and his wife, Empress Nagako. Departing from the Imperial tradition of Inhumation since the early modern period, the couple would be cremated, a choice that will allow for a simpler Mausoleum. Nose-blowing, Kakuroch milk studies when Japanic no bells. Japan extended its streak of ignoble prize wins to 20 consecutive years on September 3rd, earning awards in medicine for research on the most effective way to blow one's nose and in chemistry for exploring Kakuroch milk. The medicine prize went to the late Tokuji Uno,

7:19a professor emeritus at Asahikawa Medical University in Eir, Nose and Throat Specialist. Uno reported in 1977 that forceful nose-blowing is not necessarily harmful and that clearing one nostril at a time is more effective at preventing respiratory ailments. He never took ordinary things for granted, said Miki Takahara, who succeeded Uno and attended the ceremony on his behalf. He was extremely sincere and deeply committed to academic study. Born in 1933, Uno established the Otolaryngology Department and helped expand medical services in Northern and Eastern Hakido. He died in 2022 at age 89. Takahara accepted the medicine prize on Uno's behalf. At the ceremony, he received a trophy in a $10 trillion in Bobway dollar bank note, the traditional cash prize that is essentially worthless. I'm deeply grateful that Dr. Uno's research, which laid the foundation for our department, has been recognized around the world, he said. Superfood or joke?

8:22The chemistry prize went to Leonard Chavez, a former Nagoya university professor, Kauichiro Yagi, a Canadian citizen born to Japanese parents, and their colleagues for a 2016 study showing that proteins produced by viviporous cockroaches contain about three times the energy of cow's milk. Yagi, then at the University of Toronto, and his colleagues extracted the milk for Chavez to analyze its structure using x-rays at the high-energy accelerator research organization, Keihei in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. Their study found that the insects, which raised their young inside their bodies rather than laying eggs, produce highly calorie dense milk proteins. The finding drew international attention. CNN asked whether it could be the protein drink we've been waiting for, while in Australian science outlet described it as a potential future superfood, though when it hoped remained a joke. Chavez said he even sampled the milk during the research. It did not have any particular taste, he said in an interview. Part of our goal

9:23was also to make people aware of the potential for new sources of nutrition. Chavez, a French researcher who has lived in Japan for about 20 years and is married to a Japanese woman, said his wife's first reaction to the award was, is it a scam? When she learned it was real, she was delighted, he said. Japan is my second home, and I hope to continue living here. Awards in exile. The ignoble prizes were established in 1991 to honor research that first makes people laugh and then think. This year's ceremony in Zurich was the first held outside the United States. Foundation suggests hiring foreigners for shrinking SDF. An influential private research institution called on the Defense Ministry to consider recruiting foreign nationals to fill the depleting ranks of the self-defense forces. A study team at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation submitted the proposal to Defense Minister Shinjuro Koi-Zumi on September 2nd. The team included former defense officials, such as Tetsuro Kuro,

10:28a former vice defense minister and Koji Yamazaki, a former chief of staff of the joint staff. The proposal said an expansion of SDF recruitment should be included in the three-key national security-related documents that will be revised this year. Anything necessary should be included in the revisions, Yamazaki told reporters about the proposal. Kuro and Yamazaki also serve on an expert panel that advises the government on revisions to the three security-related documents. The Defense Ministry in recent years has been struggling to recruit members for the SDF. Japan's continuing population decline is expected to exacerbate the problem. The Sasakawa Peace Foundation's proposal noted that Australia allows foreign nationals from such countries as New Zealand, the United States and Britain to enter its military. The time has come to consider the possibility of recruiting foreign nationals as SDF personnel, it said. The proposal also said such recruitment should be limited to nationals from allied

11:28or like-minded countries. In addition, the foundation proposed the establishment of new legal frameworks to repair and enhance production of defense equipment in emergency situations. Thank you for listening, for full and more articles, visit osahi.com slash ajw slash. See you next time and stay safe.