Ai Fukuhara's reconciliation with her ex-husband is suspected to be driven by Chinese capital; Japan's most beautiful female college student is the great-granddaughter of the former prime minister, causing controversy; Japan will implement three major new policies related to foreigners|Belden Board No. 176

Hello everyone, welcome to the [Belden Board] column, where you can see the recent major events and small events in Japan.

This column is in the form of a weekly report, updated 1-2 times a week, and is divided into two parts: "Little Trumpet" records some small things and interesting facts close to life, and "Memorabilia" is the dynamics of Japanese society and economy.

Without further ado, let's go~

The 97-year-old concubine of the Japanese imperial family was hospitalized with heart disease

图源:日テレNews

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Japanese Imperial Family, Yuriko, the oldest member of the Imperial Family, Mikasa Concubine, was diagnosed with suspected cerebral infarction and aspiration pneumonia on the 3rd of this month and was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Tokyo. After the examination on the 4th, he was diagnosed with a mild cerebral infarction. On the 11th, she was transferred to a general ward because the pneumonia had improved.

According to the Japanese Imperial Household Ministry, Yuriko has been suffering from breathing difficulties and heart failure for the past few days, as well as symptoms of cerebral infarction. Because Yuriko's temporarily recovered right limb had difficulty moving again, she did not undergo the previous rehabilitation.

According to reports, Yuriko will continue to recuperate in the general ward.

Japan will implement three major new policies, all of which are related to foreigners

图源:ABEMA TIMES

On March 15, the Japanese government passed a cabinet decision on amendments to the Immigration Control Act and other laws aimed at establishing an "educational achievement labor system" to replace the "technical intern training system".

The technical intern training system for foreign nationals has been criticized for its high labor intensity and low wages. To this end, the Japanese government decided at a cabinet meeting to amend the Immigration Control Act and other laws to abolish the current system and establish a "labor education system" for the purpose of securing and nurturing human resources.

In addition, the amendment includes a decision to merge the residence card with the "My Number card". A provision has been added that if a foreigner deliberately fails to pay income tax or social insurance contributions after obtaining a permanent residence permit, his permanent residence status may be revoked and his status of residence may be changed.

The Japanese government aims to submit the bill to the current session of the Japanese Parliament for enactment.

The Bank of Japan raised interest rates for the first time since 2007

图源:Chuo Ilbo Japanese version

On March 19, at its monetary policy meeting, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) decided to lift the negative interest rate policy, which is at the heart of its large-scale monetary easing. The Bank of Japan set its policy rate in a range of 0%-0.1%, in line with market expectations, the first rate hike since 2007 and the official end of Japan's eight-year era of negative interest rates.

The average rate of wage increases in Japan's spring labor negotiations this year is at a high level, and the central bank believes that a virtuous economic cycle of simultaneous wage and price increases will be realized. The central bank began to normalize the large-scale easing policy that had been in place for about 11 years, and monetary policy ushered in a historical turning point.

Japan April Private House 车有偿载客客ban lifted

SOURCE: KYODONEWS

Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has decided to start offering paid passenger transportation services in private cars for regular driver's license holders in parts of the four prefectures of Tokyo, Kyoto, Aichi and Kanagawa from April. It is currently stipulated that operations are only allowed during certain periods of the day when there is a shortage of taxis. In the future, Osaka, Fukuoka and Sapporo will also be included in the list of target areas.

It is reported that the area and time of the taxi shortage are determined based on data from the taxi dispatch app. According to the regulations, ordinary driver's license holders are required to pay for carriage and need to comply with the following regulations: (1) they can only carry passengers in the specified area, (2) they can only serve within the specified time and there is a limit on the number of vehicles, and (3) the private car driver is under the unified management of the taxi company.

The policy aims to alleviate the shortage of taxi resources in Japan and prepare for the influx of tourists.

Nissan and Honda signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore a strategic partnership for EVs

Source: Current Affairs News Agency

On March 15, Nissan President Makoto Uchida and Honda President Toshihiro Mibe held a press conference in Tokyo to announce that they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore strategic cooperation in the field of electric vehicles. In the face of intensifying competition with Tesla of the United States and BYD of China for the sale of electric vehicles, Japanese automakers are working together to ensure their survival.

At the press conference, Nissan President Makoto Uchida revealed that the rise of foreign electric vehicle manufacturers has prompted Nissan to cooperate with its old rivals. Honda President Toshihiro Mibe said that the two sides discussed the issue from the perspective of whether they will survive in 2030 and believes that now is the time to act.

The two companies envisage cooperation in areas such as in-vehicle software cooperation and product complementarity, and hope to compete with U.S. and Chinese overseas companies by strengthening their competitiveness.

The champion of Japan's most beautiful college student is actually the great-granddaughter of the former Japanese prime minister

Source: Jpop Wiki

On March 12, the commendation ceremony of the beauty pageant of Japanese female college students was held in Yokohama City, and Aoyama Gakuin University, a three-year student from Aoyama Gakuin University, won the title. Previously, she won the 2020 Beauty Pageant for High School Girls and the 2023 Miss Aoyama Contest, but what is even more striking is her status as the "great-granddaughter of former Japanese Prime Minister Masahiro Ohira".

Masahiro Ohira (1910-1980), who served as Japan's 68th and 69th Prime Minister, visited China with Kakuei Tanaka in 1972 and actively promoted the restoration of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. In response to the former prime minister's great-granddaughter winning the beauty pageant, Japanese netizens commented, "There are many people who are cuter and more stylish than her, and most people who only notice her identity should be the majority", "Do you have to show your special identity?" "What is the significance of people with this status participating in beauty pageants?".

Yokohama woman working overtime remotely and was sentenced to a work-related injury

图源:しゅふJOB

On March 18, the lawyer representing a female employee in her 50s at a medical equipment manufacturer in Yokohama revealed in an interview that the Yokohama Northern Labor Standards Inspectorate had determined that the woman had suffered from mental illness due to a work-related injury and that she was forced to work long hours while working remotely from home. It is said that it is extremely rare to receive workers' compensation for long hours of remote overtime.

According to the woman's lawyer, she joined the company in 2019 and is responsible for accounting and human resources. Due to the emergence of the novel coronavirus, she started working remotely online around 2020, and after the introduction of a new accounting system at the end of 2021, the workload increased, causing overtime to become the norm, and in March 2022, the woman suffered from adjustment disorder. In the two months prior to the onset of the disease, he worked more than 100 hours of overtime per month.

Nissin will release the "Super Double" cup noodles

Source: NISSIN

Nissin Foods Co. announced that it will launch the "Lost Meat Cup Noodles" on March 25 for 650 yen. One of the ingredients of cup noodles is "Mi Pork", which is a seasoned minced pork ingredient made by mixing pork, soybean extracts, and vegetables into minced meat and freeze-drying.

The "Mi Rou Cup Noodles" will contain 200 grams of "Mi Pork", which is equivalent to the "Mi Pok" portion of the normal 47 cup noodles, so it can be used both as a ramen topping and as a cooking in a variety of dishes.

A Japanese high school girl was brutally murdered by a juvenile criminal and her body buried

The "Handan Juvenile Homicide Incident," which caused a sensation throughout the country, caused a national shock. On March 11, all the suspects involved in the case have been arrested, and criminal coercive measures have been taken in accordance with the law, and the judicial organs will punish the criminal acts in accordance with the law.

This malicious murder incident also made a Japanese female high school student brutally killed and buried by juvenile criminals in the 80s of the last century, which was mentioned again.

On November 25, 1988, a 17-year-old high school junior girl named Junko Furuta was kidnapped by several young boys on her way from work. Junko was then trapped in the home of one of them, and was abused and gang-raped by several men for 40 days, and finally died on January 4 of the following year.

After Junko's death, the boys put her body in a gasoline drum and, after pouring cement into it, disposed of it inside a landfill. The four main offenders are only 16~18 years old, and they are not very old. This extraordinary case caused an uproar in Japan at the time.

However, even as public resentment boiled, the main culprit Miyano only received 17 years in prison, while several others only received sentences ranging from 5, 7, and 8 years.

This was so because the Juvenile Law in Japan at the time had a huge loophole: under the age of 20 was counted as a minor. In order to protect the rights and interests of minors, they were not sentenced to death. Despite the heated discussion, the court turned a deaf ear and only perfunctorily increased Miyano's sentence by three years......

The law can never solve all social problems, and the most important thing for children is still to cultivate respect for others and themselves. But what the law can do is to still impose the necessary punishment on those who have committed heinous crimes, and only punishment can bring about reform.

Ai Fukuhara and her ex-husband are suspected to be behind the Chinese capital promoter

Source: スポーツニッポン新聞社

On March 15, former Japanese table tennis player Ai Fukuhara held a press conference in Tokyo, announcing that he had reached a settlement with his ex-husband Jiang Hongjie on the lawsuit over the eldest son, and the two sides will cooperate to raise the child in the future.

It is reported that the eldest son of the two has been handed over to Jiang Hongjie from Fukuhara and has left Japan. At the beginning of the press conference, Ai Fukuhara bowed and apologized for what happened. Jiang Hongjie did not attend the press conference, but sent a message expressing "heartfelt gratitude".

In the future, the relevant matters will be based on the laws of Taiwan, China, and the parental authority will be jointly owned by both parties, and the guardianship will be owned by Jiang Hongjie.

Previously, Ai Fukuhara and the "Yokohama man" were rumored to be in an indecent relationship, and after divorcing Jiang Hongjie, they directly dated each other and lived together. On the day of the press conference announcing the reconciliation with Jiang Hongjie on the 15th, the reporter of "Women Themselves" witnessed Ai Fukuhara and the Yokohama man leaving the mansion at a staggered time early in the morning, and the Yokohama man still drove a Porsche away.

After the divorce, Ai Fukuhara has been in turmoil, and her reputation has declined. But her quality of life has not declined. In addition to this Yokohama man, she is also supported by Mr. S, the president of a company that is engaged in marketing business in China. It is reported that Ai Fukuhara has recently lost money due to personal reasons and investment failures, resulting in a tight financial situation. In this case, she became acquainted with this Chinese tycoon through an acquaintance's introduction. Mr. S provided Ai Fukuhara with an interest-free loan of up to 300 million yen, but the specific details of the loan and the agreement between the two parties have not been fully disclosed.

As the news spread, netizens speculated about the identity of the Chinese billionaire. Some believe that he may be a business tycoon with deep pockets, while others speculate that he may be a friend or partner of Ai Fukuhara in China who is willing to lend a helping hand to help her through this difficult situation. However, at present, there is no conclusive conclusion about the true identity of this Chinese billionaire....

Since last year, Fukuhara's activities in China have continued to expand, such as opening accounts on major platforms, publishing remarks on a sweet potato, and so on. In this regard, Mr. S seems to have given her support. In January this year, Fukuhara demonstrated his fluency in Chinese through live streaming. Mr. S has a very high opinion of Ai Fukuhara's influence.

Regarding the settlement reached with her ex-husband Jiang Hongjie on the lawsuit for the eldest son, the Japanese media vaguely said that perhaps Ai Fukuhara is in a hurry to end the farce of "snatching the child" between him and Jiang Hongjie, because the Chinese capital behind it hopes that Ai Fukuhara can solve the negative impact as soon as possible, so as to help him restart his new life when the Paris Olympics are coming.

网传石原里美婚后暴肥到90kg

Recently, a 17-second video of Satomi Ishihara gaining 90 kilograms was exposed on the Internet, which attracted the attention of netizens.

The facial features and hairstyle of the woman in the video are similar to Ishihara Satomi, but the body size is greatly inflated, nearly twice as fat, and the video also specifically notes: "This is 90 kilograms of Ishihara Satomi", which is very shocking. Netizens left messages: "How did you get fat like this, is it necessary for filming", "Is this true or fake?"

Later, some netizens carefully investigated and found that this was not Satomi Ishihara herself, but a short film made with the "artist filter". The original PO said that he wanted to experience it, but he didn't expect the video to become unexpectedly popular.

In this regard, some netizens commented: "Thank you for letting me see that the ten yuan that has become fat is also so beautiful!"

Takuya Kimura will appear at the new Jennis company concert

Source: Kobunsha

ACCORDING TO JAPANESE MEDIA REPORTS, TAKIYA KIMURA IS SCHEDULED TO SIGN A CONTRACT WITH THE NEW GUINNESS COMPANY STARTO ENTERTAINMENT FROM APRIL. The company will hold commemorative concerts in Tokyo in April and in Osaka in May to commemorate the concert "WE ARE!Let's get the party STARTO!" It is said that all the new company's groups except Arashi will appear on the stage. TOKIO, 20th Century, and Arashi's Masaki Aiba will also star, and the general director is Jun Matsumoto.

According to music-related sources, Tadayoshi Okura of SUPER EIGHT, Kazuya Kanori of KAT-TUN, Kazuma Kikuchi of Sexy Zone, and Sho Sakurai have also joined the directing team of Jun Matsumoto.

Jun Fukuda, president and representative director of STARTO, said that Kimura is the "eldest son" of the company, and for the sake of fans and people affected by the disaster, he is considering the possibility of having Kimura appear in between work.

According to reports, after the turmoil of Genesys last year, Takuya Kimura is actively organizing a dinner party with his junior colleagues to communicate with them. It is said that he has now realized that he is the leader of the new office.

Yūsei Yagi

Source: X

According to the Japanese media "Wenchun", FANTASTICS Yusei Yagi (26 years old) is in love with the exclusive model of "Little Devil ageha" ぴょな (23 years old).

It is said that the two met in a bar in October last year, and they immediately started dating, and they have been dating for half a year, and they were seen visiting Universal Studios Osaka together last fall. In January of this year, the reporter witnessed ぴょな going to Yagi's apartment many times, and in February, the two began to prepare for moving, and they have now moved into a new apartment and are living together. In response, the offices of both parties responded, "This is a private matter of the artist, and I heard that the two are just friends."

Shohei Ohtani publicly took a photo with his wife Netizen: A glance at husband and wife

Source: X

Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani announced the good news of his marriage on March 1, and on March 15, on the occasion of the Dodgers' trip to South Korea, Shohei Ohtani posted a photo of him and his new wife Mamiko Tanaka for the first time through social media.

Born in 1997, Mamiko Tanaka is 27 years old, 1.8 meters tall, a former basketball player who has been selected for the Japanese national team. It is known as the "Japanese women's basketball king Zuxian".

Manga artist Mutsumi Inogu dies

Source: Oricon

On March 18, the sister of manga artist Mumi Inogu announced on X that Mumi Inogu passed away on March 10. The farewell ceremony is only held by the family members of the deceased, and in accordance with the wishes of the deceased, condolences, memorials, and flower offerings are refused.

Mutsumi Inogu was responsible for the character design of the Bandai Namco "Legends" series of games. Bandai Namco also sent a message of remembrance and prayer for rest.

In addition, she is active in many fields, including the design collaboration of the anime "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" and the illustration and illustration of the novel "Dragon Quest".

Sugata Masaki's brother will play childhood sweethearts with Kanna Hashimoto

Source: Oricon

On March 5, the NHK TV series "Summary" starring actor Kanna Hashimoto announced the third cast of the show, and Sugata Masaki's younger brother Sugata Shinki Sugata will play Koyuki's childhood friend, This is Sugata Shinki's first time in a morning drama, and he won the role in the audition. The show is scheduled to air in the second half of 2024.

Shinki Sugata himself said that he had always wanted to challenge morning dramas, but now his dream has come true, and he has not calmed down until now, and he can't wait to meet all the wonderful actors as soon as possible.

Olympic skiing champion Ayumu Hirano gets married

图源：Getty Images

Japan's Olympic snowboard gold medalist Ayumu Hirano announced his marriage on March 19 on his official website, saying "my new family will continue to grow in the future" and announcing that his partner is pregnant.

Ayumu Hirano won silver medals in snowboarding at two consecutive Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018, and won a gold medal in men's snowboarding at Beijing 2022.

Olympic swimming champion Kosuke Hagino is divorced

图源：Nikkan Sports News.

On March 18, according to Japanese media reports, singer-songwriter Miwa (33 years old) and her husband Kosuke Hagino (29 years old), the men's 400-meter individual medley champion at the Rio Olympics, have divorced.

Miwa uploaded an article titled "Miwa Report to Everyone" on the fan club website, expressing her gratitude for everyone's enthusiastic support, but would like to take this opportunity to inform everyone that the two have divorced.

It is reported that the two met at the TV station work site in October 2016, and met again in December 2016 during an interview on the TV station, and hit it off.In 2017, they began to date seriously and announced their relationship in September 2018. In August 2019, the two got married and Miwa announced her pregnancy.

The volleyball junior theater version is confirmed to be introduced to the mainland

Source: Volleyball Junior

Recently, the Japanese anime film "Volleyball Boy!!Garbage Dump Battle" was officially announced and released a teaser poster, and the release date has not yet been set. The theatrical version of the movie "Volleyball Boy!!!" is directed by Man Zhongquan, the director of the first three seasons of the TV version, and the plot tells the most popular garbage dump battle in the comics. The film was released in Japan on February 16, and received 6.2 billion yen at the box office in 24 days of release, with more than 4.38 million viewers, and is currently ranked as the highest-grossing film in Japan in 2024.

"Volleyball Junior!!" is a juvenile manga work created by Japanese manga artist Haruichi Furudate, which tells the story of volleyball teenagers mainly from Shoyo Hinata. The manga was serialized in Shueisha magazine Weekly Shonen Jump from February 2012 to July 2020. Since April 2014, the TV anime version of "Volleyball Boy!!" has been broadcast, and it has been airing for four seasons until 2020.

Love is a lizard with scissorhands

(twi:@SHUNYA_iw3wi)

Mama-chan who bought fish-patterned curtains is really a genius

(twi:@ebisdani)

3kg of oversized rice balls

(twi:@tyatyaO_zzzz)

Spring in the corner

(twi:@suna_photograph)

Harukoi color

(twi:@tsumugi_pt999)

Sunset World

(twi:@noel_engeki)

late autumn

(twi:@kzphoto_jp)

Light and freedom

Cherry blossoms bloom

(twi:@asagi_photo0921)

(twi:@seizan1013)

Fushimi ten stone boats at dusk

(twi:@@3m1ek)

drapes

(twi:@Hisa0808)

Night view of Shibuya

(twi:@wakaru9922)

Arrive at the station ahead

(twi:@Hisa0808)

※ The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Nippon Street.

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