On this week’s information roundup, we take a look at the federal government’s marketing campaign to spice up alcohol consumption amongst younger individuals in Japan. We now have the newest on the Olympic bribery scandal, Covid-19 and the Unification Church whereas additionally paying our respects to trailblazing designer Hanae Mori. In sport, Takefusa Kubo scores on his Actual Sociedad debut, Saki Baba wins the US Girls’s Newbie golf championship and Shohei Ohtani hits extra dwelling runs.
Younger Individuals Inspired to Drink Extra
The youthful technology in Japan is not as excited by consuming booze as their mother and father. Whereas that won’t sound like a foul factor, it is a worrying pattern for the federal government. Based on the Nationwide Tax Company (NTA), alcohol consumption in Japan fell by 25 liters per particular person between 1995 and 2020. That is a major drop which has reportedly had a detrimental impact on the financial system. In an try and attempt to flip issues round, the NTA has launched a nationwide competitors calling for individuals to provide you with concepts to make consuming extra engaging.
The “Sake Viva!” marketing campaign is asking 20 to 39-year-olds to suggest enterprise plans to revitalize the recognition of alcoholic drinks. Contributors are being inspired to consider new merchandise and designs in addition to branding and promotional campaigns. On account of way of life modifications, brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, there may even be an emphasis on dwelling consuming. The deadline for the competitors is September 9. The very best plans will then be developed with the assistance of consultants earlier than the ultimate proposals are introduced at a gala awards ceremony on November 10. The marketing campaign has been criticized by various individuals on social media.
Former Olympic Official Arrested for Taking Bribes
Haruyuki Takahashi, a former Tokyo Olympic organizing committee govt, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of bribery. The previous senior managing director of Dentsu Inc., Japan’s largest promoting company, is accused of receiving bribes of round 51 million from enterprise go well with retailer Aoki Holdings Inc. Prosecutors allege that Takahashi acquired backhanders on greater than 50 events between October 2017 and March of this yr. In return, he helped Aoki get preferential therapy in relation to sponsorship and licensing contracts. Previous to his arrest, Takahashi denied any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors additionally detained Aoki’s former chairman Hironori Aoki, his brothers Takahisa Aoki and Katsuhisa Ueda, an govt director on the firm. The enterprise clothes specialty retailer was categorized as an “official supporter” for the Tokyo Video games. That is the lowest of the three sponsorship tiers, commanding a reported payment of roughly 1.5 billion. On Thursday, sources accustomed to the matter mentioned Aoki paid simply 500 million. Being an “official supporter” meant the retailer may use Olympic emblems for enterprise functions and promote licensed merchandise.
Greater than 100 Lawmakers Have Hyperlinks to the Unification Church
Outcomes from a Kyodo Information survey launched on Saturday revealed that not less than 106 Japanese lawmakers have had hyperlinks with the Unification Church. Liberal Democratic Get together (LDP) members accounted for round 80 p.c of the entire. These connections embrace attending occasions related to the non secular group and receiving electoral cooperation from its members. As of final Friday, 583 of the 712 lawmakers had responded to the questionnaire. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was not certainly one of them. Inside his new cupboard, seven members have been confirmed to have had ties with the church.
The non secular group, now formally generally known as the Household Federation for World Peace and Unification, has been within the highlight for the reason that homicide of Shinzo Abe. The gunman, Tetsuya Yamagami believed the previous prime minister had hyperlinks with the church. He held a grudge towards the group on account of his mom’s appreciable donations which he mentioned ruined his household financially. On Thursday, round 3,500 Unification Church followers, principally Japanese girls married to Korean males, held a rally in Seoul to protest what they name the biased Japanese media protection of the group.
Every day Covid Tally Hits Report Excessive
Japan recorded 255,534 new coronavirus circumstances on Thursday, a report excessive. Of the nation’s 47 prefectures, 21 reported single-day information. In Tokyo, there have been 27,453 new circumstances, down 1,963 from Wednesday and three,794 from per week in the past. The variety of Covid-related deaths nationwide was 287. Since August 9, there has solely been in the future by which it hasn’t topped the 200-mark. The occupancy price of hospital beds for coronavirus sufferers in Tokyo is presently slightly below 60 p.c. The occupancy price for severely ailing sufferers is at 33.8 p.c.
With circumstances hovering, Japan is unlikely to vary its strict guidelines with regard to letting vacationers in anytime quickly. In July, the variety of international arrivals right here exceeded 100,000 for the fourth consecutive month, nonetheless, fewer than 8,000 of those guests had been vacationers. The North Korea-style chaperoned journey packages are clearly placing individuals off coming. There are additionally the additional procedures to think about akin to buying a adverse coronavirus check consequence. From August 12 to 31, 7,412 individuals have reportedly utilized to enter Japan for tourism functions.
Trailblazing Designer Hanae Mori Dies at 96
The workplace of Hanae Mori introduced this week that the trailblazing dressmaker died in her dwelling on August 11. She was 96. Japan’s first internationally recognized designer, she was nicknamed “Madame Butterfly” on account of her signature motif. In 1992, she was liable for creating the official uniform for her nation on the Barcelona Olympics. A yr later, she designed the sleeveless white costume for Empress Masako to put on for her wedding ceremony parade. She additionally had the patronage of a number of influential figures from overseas together with Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan and Grace Kelly.
Born in Muikaichi, Shimane Prefecture on January 8, 1926, Mori moved to Japan’s capital along with her household earlier than occurring to graduate from Tokyo Girls’s Christian College. In 1951, on the age of 25, she opened her first atelier in Shinjuku. Within the years that adopted she designed costumes for a whole bunch of flicks. Her first vogue present abroad, acclaimed as “East meets West,” was introduced in New York in 1965. Twelve years later, she grew to become the primary Asian lady to be listed as an official high fashion designer in Paris.
Debut Purpose for Kubo at Sociedad
Following an underwhelming season at Mallorca, Takefusa Kubo is seeking to reignite his profession at Actual Sociedad. On Sunday, he obtained off to the proper begin, scoring the one objective in his facet’s 1-0 victory over Cadiz. Within the Bundesliga, Wataru Endo’s thunderous strike helped Stuttgart earn a 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen and Daichi Kamada was on the scoresheet in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 1-1 draw with Hertha Berlin. Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi and LASK’s Keito Nakamura had been additionally on the right track in Scotland and Austria. And in England’s second tier, Yuta Nakayama scored his first objective for Huddersfield.
In different sporting information, Japanese excessive schooler Saki Baba received the US Girls’s Newbie golf championship on Sunday. The 17-year-old defeated Canada’s Monet Chun within the play-offs. In doing so, she grew to become the primary participant from this nation to win the event since Michiko Hattori in 1985. In baseball, Shohei Ohtani struck his twenty sixth dwelling run of the season within the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 win towards the Minnesota Twins on Saturday . His twenty seventh (a two-run homer) got here in his facet’s 11-7 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. It was additionally his first four-hit recreation since 2019.