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Kyodo News Digest: June 23, 2021

mybb@mybb.ru (tatyanka.filippova.2021) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 22:34:53 +0300

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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Japan's top court says forcing couples to share surname constitutional

TOKYO - Japan's top court on Wednesday again ruled legal provisions forcing married couples to use the same surname are constitutional, upholding a Supreme Court judgment from 2015.

The latest decision on a more than century-old provision based on the Civil Code and the family register law dismissed requests filed by three couples in 2018 to keep their separate surnames after local governments refused to accept their marriage registrations.

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Alcohol banned at Tokyo Olympics as 1-month countdown starts

TOKYO - Tokyo marked one month until the start of the Olympics on Wednesday, with organizers banning the drinking of alcohol at games venues as they set out measures they hope will allow a safe event to be held amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The organizing committee of the Olympics and Paralympics released safety guidelines for ticket holders, including banning loud cheering, the giving of high-fives and towel waving, in addition to prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages in venues and explicitly stating spectators must not bring their own.

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Hong Kong's Apple Daily to publish last paper Thurs., shut down

HONG KONG - Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, which has had its assets frozen and its executives indicted under a sweeping national security law, will publish its last print edition Thursday and shut down its online news page by midnight, its management said Wednesday.

The outspoken paper, which has long been a target for the authorities with its liberal stance, was seen as a beacon of press freedom in Hong Kong as its existence showed that diversity was tolerated, if not embraced, under the city's semiautonomous status.

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2nd Ugandan Olympic team member in Japan tests positive for COVID

OSAKA - Another member of the Ugandan Olympic delegation has tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Japan for next month's Tokyo Games, a western city hosting the team said Wednesday.

It was the second positive test among the nine-member team, which arrived in Japan on Saturday. One team member tested positive upon arrival at Narita airport, east of Tokyo. On Sunday, the remaining eight members of the delegation checked into their hotel in Izumisano in Osaka Prefecture.

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Fukui nuclear unit becomes Japan's 1st to operate beyond 40-yr limit

FUKUI, Japan - An aging nuclear reactor in central Japan's Fukui Prefecture was restarted Wednesday, becoming the country's first nuclear unit to operate beyond the government-mandated 40-year service period introduced under new rules set after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Kansai Electric Power Co. said it began operating the No. 3 unit at the Mihama plant for the first time in about 10 years, after completing final inspections. The reactor had stopped operations after the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami.

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Okinawa marks 76th anniv. of WWII ground battle

NAHA, Japan - Okinawa on Wednesday marked the 76th anniversary of the end of a major World War II ground battle between Japanese and U.S. troops, with a memorial service downscaled for the second straight year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who was not invited to the event amid the pandemic, called on people "not to forget the deep scars" left in the island prefecture, saying in a video message, "The peace and prosperity we enjoy (today) were built on the precious lives lost and an indescribably distressing history lived by the people of Okinawa."

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Athletes on edge with Tokyo Olympics less than 1 month away

mybb@mybb.ru (tatyanka.filippova.2021) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 22:28:00 +0300

While a vaccine rollout may have eased some of the emotional burden for Japanese athletes, many remain torn between wanting to live out their Olympic dream and potentially playing a role in an unfolding public health disaster.

Japan relaxed emergency coronavirus restrictions in Tokyo and eight prefectures on Monday and members of its delegation started vaccinations from June 1, but athletes still have serious concerns over whether the games can be staged safely.

Kei Nishikori of Japan plays against Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen in the third round of the French Open tennis tournament in Paris on June 4, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
"I'm not 100 percent optimistic yet," Japanese men's tennis star Kei Nishikori said, voicing a thought likely shared by many other Olympic athletes.

"I need to get closer to the competition date and have a better understanding (of the coronavirus situation in Tokyo) to get pumped."

The Tokyo Olympics, postponed for a year in response to the coronavirus pandemic, will open on July 23 and close on Aug. 8.

In the wake of multiple surveys showing a majority of Japanese people favoring cancellation or further postponement, athletes feel conflicted between recognizing the intangible value of the games at a time of global disconnect and also wanting to put safety first.

"I know the value of the Olympics has dropped to a point where people are saying the event doesn't even have to happen," said Tatsuki Yoshino, a core member of the men's national handball team.

Olympians are hesitant to speak out on the hot-button issue of holding the games amid the pandemic, as opinions are strongly divided over the threat posed by virus variants and Japanese athletes are traditionally averse to controversy.

"There's a lot to think about. But it's hard to express my opinions loudly (because) I'm torn over the issue," said Japanese wrestler Hiroe Minagawa, who qualified in the women's 76-kilogram category.

A few have expressed measured optimism.

"Until now, media reports tended to be about the negative impact of hosting the games. All we could do was have faith and keep on training, but now that we're in the fine-tuning stage I have that exciting countdown feel," said swimmer Kosuke Hagino, winner of the men's 400-meter individual medley at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

"We now know who's competing from which country, so I have a clearer picture of what to expect," said Daiya Seto, a former world champion who joins Hagino on the Japan Olympic swimming team.

Daiya Seto (R) and Kosuke Hagino smile after finishing first and second in the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the national swimming championships at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on April 8, 2021, the final qualifying event for the Tokyo Olympics. (Kyodo)
Athletes around the world have responded to the third version of the so-called playbooks, guides for athletes and officials on how to hold a "safe and successful games," published by the International Olympic Committee on June 15.

But with the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics fast approaching, many athletes are not satisfied with the COVID-19 precautions organizers have planned and the lack of information available which has impacted the participants' ability to make decisions for themselves.

"No matter how small the detail, I wish they'd inform athletes before anyone else," an Olympic martial arts competitor said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The new guidelines show just how different the Summer Games will be for the athletes representing more than 200 national Olympic committees, including 500-plus Japanese athletes, who plan to come together in the midst of the global pandemic.

The IOC said on June 9 the latest figures show that 76 percent of athletes have qualified for the Olympics, with another 20 percent set to earn places from rankings. The qualification period deadline is June 29.

A number of athletes have pulled out of the games, citing coronavirus fears, but none of them are Japanese. Ready or not, the Tokyo Olympics will happen in one month.

"I could tell athletes from overseas teams are in full competition mode. I need to be focused from Day 1 and do my best, one match at a time," said judoka Hifumi Abe, who competed in the world championships in Budapest earlier this month.

Hifumi Abe (blue) and Joshiro Maruyama fight in the men's 66-kilogram qualifying playoff for the Tokyo Olympics on Dec. 13, 2020, at the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo. Abe won the match. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
On Monday, Olympic organizers capped the number of spectators at 10,000 people per venue for the games, despite medical experts recommending last week that holding the event without fans was the least risky option.

This came as somewhat good news to athletes who had to imagine a games without any spectators at all, with overseas spectators already barred from events following a decision in March.

"I feel blessed that the games are going ahead and there are going to be spectators. Having 50 percent (capacity in stadiums) is more than enough for me," women's rugby player Wakaba Hara said.

"I'm bracing myself (for a venue with spectators). I'm doing my best," said wrestler Risako Kawai, a 2016 gold medalist and Japan's representative in the women's 57-kg.

5 doctors found liable for child's death due to excessive drug use

mybb@mybb.ru (tatyanka.filippova.2021) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 22:26:43 +0300

A Japanese court on Thursday found five doctors negligent and liable to pay a total of 60 million yen ($540,000) in damages over the 2014 death of a 2-year-old boy due to an excessive use of a sedative.

The Tokyo District Court dismissed his parents' claims for damages totaling 180 million yen against the five doctors and two others at the Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital as the hospital has already compensated the parents.

Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital. (Kyodo)
The doctors administered the sedative propofol to the boy, Kosuke, after he underwent neck surgery in February 2014, even though its use to children requiring artificial ventilation is banned in principle.

Of the seven, two anesthesiologists were indicted without arrest in January this year on a charge of negligence resulting in the boy's death.

Kosuke underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor in his neck on Feb. 18. 2014. The operation was completed in around seven minutes but he died three days later after being administered high amounts of propofol while in ICU, according to the ruling.

Presiding Judge Satoko Otokozawa said the five doctors found negligent, the two indicted and another anesthesiologist "violated" their duty of care by prescribing high amounts of sedative for a long time without carefully considering the amount and the time of sedative use.

The remaining two doctors also failed to fulfil their duties to sufficiently explain the risk of the sedative use to the parents, Otokozawa said, concluding that their negligence and the boy's death had a causal relationship.

"As seven years and four months have passed since his death, I think what we had been doing was not wrong," Kosuke's father said after the ruling. "If the doctors took care of my son as if he was a member of their family, this would not have occurred. This is what I regret."

A report by a third-party investigation panel set up by the hospital said in February 2015 that the boy died due to side effects from the administration of the sedative.

The report said even if the administration was reasonable, the amount given largely exceeded the standard level and doctors "lacked discretion."

The boy's family name is being withheld for privacy reasons.

Japan emperor appears concerned Olympics could spread COVID: official

mybb@mybb.ru (tatyanka.filippova.2021) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 22:26:01 +0300

Japanese Emperor Naruhito is believed to be "concerned" that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics could cause a further increase in coronavirus cases, the head of the Imperial Household Agency said Thursday.

"His majesty is very worried about the current infection situation of the COVID-19 disease," Yasuhiko Nishimura, grand steward of the agency, said at a press conference.

"I suppose that (the emperor) is concerned that while there are voices of anxiety among the public, the holding of the Olympics and Paralympics...may lead to a rise in infections," Nishimura said.

Nishimura added he has "not heard such words directly from his majesty" but "feels that way" as he talks to the emperor every day.

Japan's top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato played down the remarks, which came a day after Tokyo marked one month until the start of the Olympics, saying they represented the grand steward's "view."

"I would like to ask the Imperial Household Agency for details, but as I have said, we will realize a safe and secure games," Kato said at a press conference.

Unease over the potential health risks of holding the games amid a pandemic remains strong among many people in Japan, despite repeated pledges by the government and other organizers to stage the global sporting extravaganza this summer and safely.

Yasuhiko Nishimura, grand steward of the Imperial Household Agency. (Kyodo)
A third COVID-19 state of emergency in Tokyo from late April ended on Sunday. However, there are already signs of a rebound in infections, with the capital on Wednesday reporting 619 new infections -- the highest single-day spike in about a month.

A Kyodo News survey, the results of which were released over the weekend, showed that about 86 percent of people in Japan are concerned about the risk of a rebound in COVID-19 cases.

A number of influential infectious disease experts have also warned of a possible resurgence of the virus before or after the Olympics begin on July 23, calling for either the cancellation or a no-spectator games.

The 61-year-old emperor is honorary patron of the Olympics and Paralympics. He may attend the Olympic opening ceremony and declare the start of the games, delayed for one year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I would like the organizing committee and other related organizations to work together and take all possible measures to prevent infection," Nishimura told the press.

The emperor formally ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, 2019, a day after his father became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in about 200 years.

Under the current Constitution, he is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people of Japan and has no political power, rarely making public comments.

The Olympic Charter stipulates that the host country's head of state proclaims the games open.

Emperor Naruhito is the third emperor to have accepted the role of honorary patron and first to have assumed it for both the Olympics and Paralympics.

Senior officials of the household agency are concerned about the imperial family's engagement in the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics as the Japanese public remains skeptical about going ahead with the games amid a global health crisis and there is no festive atmosphere in Tokyo.

The agency has also adopted a cautious stance on the imperial family meeting with foreign dignitaries during the pandemic.

One of the officials has said the agency will "just follow the decision to be made by the International Olympic Committee or the government" regarding the emperor's involvement in the games.

Hideya Kawanishi, an associate professor at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Humanities, who is an expert on imperial affairs, said he believes the grand steward "effectively" quoted the emperor's comments with his consent.

"I think there were two thoughts in the message. One is to have the government and the organizing committee thoroughly implement measures to prevent infection," Kawanishi said.

"The other is he wants the people to understand his difficult position of needing to make an opening declaration based on the Olympic Charter as the people are divided into those supportive of hosting the games and those who are against staging them."

For the Olympics, which will close on Aug. 8, the organizers have laid out strict COVID-19 rules for athletes, spectators and other participants.

Around 11,000 athletes from around the world, competing in 33 sports will be kept in a "bubble" and will not be allowed to interact with locals or visit places outside of their venues or accommodation.

Due to fears that an influx of people could trigger a sharp rise in coronavirus infections, Japan has excluded overseas spectators from the Tokyo Games and earlier this week set significant attendance limits for local fans.

On Monday, the organizers, including the IOC and the Tokyo metropolitan government, agreed that venues could be filled to 50 percent of capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 spectators, and left open the possibility of hosting the games behind closed doors if the infection situation worsens.

Hong Kong's Apple Daily folds under pressure after 26 years

mybb@mybb.ru (tatyanka.filippova.2021) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 22:23:49 +0300

Hong Kong's pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily folded under pressure from Chinese and Hong Kong authorities after publishing its final print edition Thursday, ending its 26-year run.

The outspoken paper, which has long been a target for the authorities with its liberal stances, was seen as a beacon of press freedom in Hong Kong as its existence showed that diversity was tolerated, if not embraced, under the city's semiautonomous status within China.

Before shuttering, the paper had its assets frozen and its senior editors and executives arrested under a sweeping national security law. Its management said Wednesday that Thursday's edition would be its last due to strains on manpower and staff safety concerns.

People stand in line at a newsstand in Hong Kong to buy pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily's final print edition in the early hours of June 24, 2021. (For editorial use only) (Kyodo)
The case of Apple Daily exemplifies how the national security law imposed last year by mainland China in the territory is used for arbitrary crackdowns on organizations that Beijing considers problematic, according to observers.

U.S. President Joe Biden criticized China in a statement released Thursday, saying, "Intensifying repression by Beijing has reached such a level that Apple Daily, a much-needed bastion of independent journalism in Hong Kong, has now ceased publishing."

"Beijing must stop targeting the independent press and release the journalists and media executives that have been detained. The act of journalism is not a crime," Biden added.

The newspaper printed a record 1 million copies for its last edition, up from its usual daily circulation of 70,000 to 100,000 copies.

With headline "Hong Kong people in painful farewell in the rain: 'We back Apple,'" copies of the last edition were snapped up eagerly by scores of readers who arrived at newsstands shortly after midnight and formed long lines.

One of the readers bemoaning the paper's closing and the diminishing of free speech in the former British colony was a self-employed man who said the government used ugly tactics to effectively sign the paper's death warrant.

"(Apple) dares to speak out," the 21-year-old said. "I respect people's views on different media, but we shouldn't agree with the authorities or anyone in power in depriving the fourth estate's right to speak."

A 36-year-old reader who works in banking said, "This day was destined to come. Because July 1 is the 100th birthday of the (Chinese) Communist Party, the government would want to offer a big birthday gift and Apple is that big gift," adding he wanted to buy 10 copies but was limited to two.

On Wednesday, the paper instructed its reporters not to return to the head office to avoid further arrests among staff, and continued work with a minimum number of editors. Dozens of supporters gathered outside, chanting, "Long live Hong Kongers, long live freedom."

Apple Daily was established in 1995 -- two years before Hong Kong's handover to Chinese rule -- by business tycoon Jimmy Lai, who started building a media empire in the territory following the pro-democracy student movement in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Lai, founder of Apple Daily's publisher, Next Digital Ltd., has been charged with colluding with foreign forces, a crime punishable by life imprisonment under the national security law. He is serving a prison sentence for taking part in unauthorized assemblies in 2019.

Police arrested Apple Daily's editor in chief and four others last week for alleged conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security, saying the paper published more than 30 articles advocating foreign sanctions be imposed on Hong Kong and China.

In Tokyo, Japan's top government spokesman called the paper's closure a "major setback" for freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Hong Kong and voiced "increasingly grave concerns" over the situation.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a press conference that Japan will continue to work closely with the international community to strongly urge China to respect these rights.

In response to criticism from Japan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China supports Hong Kong authorities' measures on Apple Daily as the special administrative region government must abide by laws, prosecute violations of laws, and strictly enforce laws.

"Japanese politicians have blatantly interfered in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs, seriously violating international law and the basic norms of international relations," Zhao told reporters. "We express our strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition, and we will never accept Japan's fallacies."

Zhao also rebutted Britain's criticism and urged the country to grasp the reality that it has been 24 years since Hong Kong returned to China's control and to stop interfering.

Concerns over the harsh crackdowns on the freedom of press and the closure of the popular paper have also been voiced by academics.

Toru Kurata, a professor of Rikkyo University in Tokyo and a Hong Kong politics expert, said he was shocked by the enormity of the national security law that forced the closure of Apple Daily, a symbol of Hong Kong's freedom.

"The arrests of the paper's editor in chief and other executives due to its coverage were blatant suppression of free speech," Kurata said, adding that other Hong Kong newspapers have come under government influence but Apple Daily maintained its anti-government stance, and many of its readers have said they would not read local newspapers without it.

"The bastion of freedom of speech, in which columnists critical of the government can write, will be lost. It is a serious blow to the press" in Hong Kong, he said.

Kurata added he is concerned that stricter censorship would be imposed on internet media opposing the government, while writers and academics who contributed to Apple Daily could be arrested, leading to self-censorship in journalism.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen expressed regret at Apple Daily's closure, saying it served as a beachhead for the Hong Kong people's fearless craving for democracy and freedom.

"A free Taiwan will always back Hong Kong's freedom. And (I) hope, the urge for freedom and democracy deeply embedded in Hong Kong people's hearts will one day brighten the Pearl of the Orient once again," she said on her Facebook page.

A Hong Kong resident holds up a copy of the Apple Daily's final print edition on June 24, 2021. The pro-democracy newspaper folded under pressure from authorities, putting an end to its 26-year history. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Hikari makes soft-power moves with anime and Vocaloid covers

mybb@mybb.ru (tatyanka.filippova.2021) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 22:21:18 +0300

Twenty-four-year-old performer Hikari always wanted to be a singer, but never knew how to go about sharing her voice with the world. She had opportunities to become an idol-pop artist through her job working at a maid cafe in Akihabara, but she decided to avoid this conventional route into entertainment due to her lack of dancing skills.

Instead, Hikari, who asks to only be identified by her first name for privacy reasons, chose a digital path that�s becoming more common. YouTubers and other artists covering Japanese songs � whether they be fan projects such as Korean duo Darlim & Hamabal, organized efforts from labels such as Tokimeki Records, or hybrids like Indonesian singer Rainych Ran � are spreading Japanese music farther than ever before, both thanks to the type of music that grabs the spotlight and how the songs are distributed.

The engine is anime. This corner of Japanese pop culture has been seeing record growth in recent years. As a result, anime�s popularity is helping raise the fortunes of other cultural corners, like the music industry.

�The adults and teens who love anime are now discovering more about Japanese music and culture as a whole,� according to a post on the Spotify blog explaining an increase in streams of anime songs, with the themes from shows like �Attack on Titan� and �Jujutsu Kaisen� performing well on streaming viral charts. Access � once a challenge for Japanese music across the board � has become much easier.

Hikari is a beneficiary of this trend. At the start of 2021, she launched Singing Cosplayer Hikari, a multiplatform project anchored by her YouTube channel and involving a team helping her film and edit her work. She covers anime themes and staples of the singing-synthesizer-powered Vocaloid community, often against a backdrop of temples, castles and cherry blossoms, which J-vloggers love.

�I want to share more than just temples in my videos,� Hikari says. �I want to show all kinds of plants and flowers, for example. Mostly, I want to share things that you can only do in Japan. The sort of things that make someone want to travel here.�