In this week’s news roundup, we report on Shigeru Ishiba’s LDP leadership election victory after he beat Sanae Takaichi in a runoff. The main opposition party also held an election to select a new leader. It was won by former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. In other news this week, Iwao Hakamada, the world’s longest serving death row prisoner, was finally acquitted by the Shizuoka District Court. At least 11 people have died following record-breaking rainfall in the Noto region. And a tsunami advisory was issued following an earthquake near Torishima Island. In sport, sumo star Onosato was promoted to the second-highest rank of ozeki and Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 ball went up for sale.
Shigeru Ishiba Defeats Sanae Takaichi in Runoff
Sanae Takaichi finished top in the first round of the LDP leadership election on Friday, but it is Shigeru Ishiba who will rule the party after he defeated her in the runoff with 215 votes, compared to 194. Ishiba will now replace incumbent Fumio Kishida as prime minister following an extraordinary Diet session next Tuesday. “We must believe in the people and speak the truth with courage and sincerity,” said the former defense minister. “I will do my utmost to make Japan a safe and secure country where everyone can live with a smile on their face once again.”
A record nine candidates competed to become leader of the party. As expected, the top three in the first round were Takaichi, 63, Ishiba, 67, and Shinjiro Koizumi, 43, who garnered 181, 154 and 136 votes respectively. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 63, finished fourth with 65 votes, ahead of fifth-placed Takayuki Kobayashi, 49, who received 60. The other four contenders — Toshimitsu Motegi, 68, Yoko Kamikawa, 71, Taro Kono, 61, and Katsunobu Kato, 68 — all received fewer than 50 votes. Ishiba is considering naming Kato as his finance minister, while Hayashi is expected to stay on as chief Cabinet secretary.
Yoshihiko Noda Wins Main Opposition Leadership Election
Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, 67, defeated the ex-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano in the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s leadership election on Monday. It went to a runoff after both men fell short of a majority in the first round of votes. Noda received 267 points, ahead of Edano’s 206. The other two candidates, incumbent leader Kenta Izumi, 50, and the only female running, Harumi Yoshida, 52, were knocked out with 143 and 122 points, respectively. There were then 417 points up for grabs in the runoff. Noda finished 52 points ahead of his rival.
“We will break the majority held by the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito party. To that aim, we will maximize the number of opposition seats,” said Noda at a press conference following his victory. He served as the country’s prime minister and the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan from 2011 to 2012. During his time as leader, it was decided that consumption tax would be increased from 5% to 8% in April 2014 and then to 10% in October 2015. This proved very unpopular and contributed to his party’s heavy defeat in the 2012 election.
World’s Longest Serving Death Row Prisoner Acquitted of Murder
On Thursday, the Shizuoka District Court acquitted Iwao Hakamada, 88, of murder. The former professional boxer spent almost half a century on death row. He was accused of killing his boss, his boss’s wife and their two children at their home in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1966. They were discovered strangled to death after a fire. Around ¥20,000 was stolen from the residence. Hakamada became the chief suspect due to what the police said were small traces of blood found on one of the victim’s pajamas. He consistently protested his innocence, claiming investigators coerced him to admit he was guilty.
Following 23 days of intense interrogation, which included threats and beatings, Hakamda confessed to the quadruple murder. No lawyer was present. He was sentenced to death in 1968. Four decades later, DNA tests showed that the blood on the clothing used as evidence didn’t match his. In 2014, he was finally released and granted a retrial. This decision was overturned by the Tokyo High Court before the Supreme Court stepped in. “The Hakamada case clearly shows the cruelty of the wrongful death penalty, and the tragedy should never be repeated,” said Japan Bar Association Chairperson Reiko Fuchigami.
Death Toll Rises to 11 Following Record-Breaking Rain on the Noto Peninsula
The Noto region, which is still recovering from the devastating New Year’s Day earthquake, was hit by record-breaking rain last weekend. At least 11 people in the region have died as a result of floods and mudslides. Seven of those deaths were confirmed in Wajima city and two in neighboring Suzu. On Sunday, both cities experienced twice the amount of rainfall they would usually receive for the whole of September. Several communities were left isolated as rivers burst their banks, cutting off roads. Around 40,000 residents in four cities in Ishikawa Prefecture were evacuated over the weekend.
On Wednesday morning, the body of a woman was discovered near a river in Wajima. Later in the afternoon, two men were separately found dead on the city’s coast, taking the number of fatalities to 11. Two people are still missing and others are unaccounted for. According to NHK, 12 have been injured. The latest disaster in Noto comes just nine months after the devastating earthquake on January 1 that killed 376 people and injured more than 1,300. The 7.6-magnitude quake caused widespread destruction, damaging 161,623 structures across nine prefectures. Recovery efforts are ongoing.
Tsunami Advisory Lifted for Izu and Ogasawara
At shortly after 8 a.m. on Tuesday, a tsunami advisory was issued for the coasts of Izu and Ogasawara following a magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck off of Torishima Island in the Pacific Ocean. Less than two hours later, the advisory was lifted. According to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the government didn’t receive any reports of damage from the earthquake or tsunami. The 5.8 quake struck at a depth of more than 10 kilometers. Waves of up to 1 meter were expected. At just before 9 a.m., a tsunami of 50 centimeters was observed at Yaene, Hachijojima.
The earthquake occurred five days after a volcanic eruption warning for Smith Island — part of the Izu islands — was issued. Professor Fumihiko Imamura of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science at Tohoku University believes the earthquake and tsunami may have been related to volcanic activity. He feels volcanic activity in the area where the tsunami occurred could have caused the seafloor to uplift and subside. This may have triggered the waves. According to the JMA, since 2015, tsunamis have repeatedly occurred in the waters around Torishima even when the magnitude of the quake has been relatively small.
Onosato Promoted to Rank of Ozeki
The rise of young sumo star Onosato shows no sign of slowing down. On Wednesday, the 24-year-old Ishikawa Prefecture native was promoted to the sport’s second-highest rank of ozeki just a few days after winning his second championship. He achieved the feat after just nine tournaments. That’s three quicker than the previous record of 12, which was shared between Haguroyama, Yutakayama and Miyabiyama. “I’ll aim to be a one-of-a-kind sumo wrestler,” he said after receiving news of his promotion. Onosato sealed victory at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament with a day to spare.
In other sports news, the home run ball that made Shohei Ohtani MLB’s first 50-50 player is being put up for auction. Bidding starts today at an opening price of $500,000. Buyers have the opportunity to purchase it outright for $4.5 million if bids exceeding $3 million aren’t received by October 9. Teenager Max Matus, however, has filed a lawsuit, claiming he’s the rightful owner, not Chris Belanski and Kelvin Ramirez, who put it up for sale through auction house Goldin. In Japanese baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the Pacific League for the first time in four years on Monday.
