This Week in Japan
Monday, October 14, 2019
Top news stories in Japan for the week of October 7, 2019
News Stories from the week of October 7, 2019
- Japan struck by super typhoon Hagibis followed by magnitude 5.7 earthquake in Chiba
- Seven & I Holdings to close 1000 convenience stores and cut 3000 jobs
- Japanese scientist Akira Yoshino among trio to win Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Missing part of the Tale of Genji discovered
Japan struck by super typhoon Hagibis followed by magnitude 5.7 earthquake in Chiba
Super typhoon Hagibis made landfall on Saturday in Japan, bringing 40% of annual rain in just two days. Several rivers overflowed causing flooding and massive amounts of damage in several parts of the country. 10 shinkansens parked in a train parking yard on the Hokurukiku line suffered severe damage due to flood waters. Approximately 60 people are said to have died due to the typhoon. The typhoon is said to be the strongest Japan has seen in 60 years. Paired with this a magnitude 5.7 Earthquake also struck the Kanto region as the typhoon was approaching.
To read more here are some useful links:
Seven & I Holdings to close 1000 stores and cut 3000 jobs
The parent company of 7-11 convenience stores Seven & I Holdings announced that it would close 1000 unprofitable convenience stores, grocery stores and department stores around the country resulting in about 3000 jobs being cut. This comes as a result of the retail giant's internal restructuring that will include reducing fees for franchisees and reassessing the requirement for 7-11s to be open 24 hours. In addition the convenience store market has become saturated and other retail commerce is quickly shifting online.
To read more here are some useful links:
Japanese scientist Akira Yoshino among trio to win Nobel Prize in Chemistry
71 year old Akira Yoshino was part of a trio of scientist that were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry. Yoshino, along with American John Goodenough and Briton Stanley Whittingham were awarded the prize for the development of lithium-ion batteries. Yoshino, a honorary fellow with Asahi Kasei Corp. and a professor at Meijo University in Nagoya is considered to be one of the pioneers of the commonly used power source which has been an important development to help industries move away from fossil fuels.
To read more here are some useful links:
Missing part of the Tale of Genji discovered
The fifth chapter of the world's oldest novel, The Tale of Genji was discovered in storage in a Tokyo home and confirmed by experts to be authentic. The manuscript of “Wakamurasaki” is the fifth Genji chapter confirmed to have been transcribed by poet Fujiwara no Teika. The material is believed to have been compiled during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333).
To read more here are some useful links: The Guardian The Asahi Shimbun
