In this week’s news roundup we report on the bomb that exploded at Miyazaki Airport. We also have the latest on Shigeru Ishiba‘s first week as prime minister as he selects his new Cabinet. Shibuya introduces its year-round ban on public drinking. Sugar Baby Riri’s sentence is reduced to eight years and six months. Tokyo is voted the world’s best big city by readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine. And in baseball, Shohei Ohtani misses out on the Triple Crown.
Explosion at Miyazaki Airport Caused by a US Bomb From WWII
A bomb that had been lying dormant for almost 80 years detonated at Miyazaki Airport shortly before 8 a.m. on Wednesday. The blast left a crater with a diameter of 7 meters and a depth of 1 meter in a taxiway and led to the cancellation of more than 80 flights. Fortunately, no injuries were reported and no aircraft were nearby at the time. Speaking after the incident, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said, “There is no threat of a second explosion, and police and firefighters are currently examining the scene.” The runway reopened on Wednesday evening.
Built in 1943 as an Imperial Japan Navy base, the airport was a setting for kamikaze units, starting in February 1943. The bomb that exploded on Wednesday is believed to have been dropped during World War II to stem those planes. Two bombs were found at the airport in 2011 and 2021. According to NHK, an object that appeared to be an unexploded bomb from World War II, was also discovered at Naha Airport in Okinawa on Thursday, a day after the explosion in Miyazaki. It’s believed that hundreds of tons of unexploded bombs from the war remain buried throughout Japan.
Shigeru Ishiba Announces Plans for a Snap Election on October 27
On Tuesday morning, Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet resigned en masse, putting an end to the Hiroshima Prefecture-native’s 1,094 days as prime minister. In the afternoon, Shigeru Ishiba was voted in as his replacement at an extraordinary Diet session, becoming the nation’s 102nd PM. His new Cabinet was officially inaugurated following the investiture and attestation ceremonies. It features 13 rookies, including two women: former pop star and racing driver, Junko Mihara, as children’s policy minister and Toshiko Abe as education, culture, sports, science and technology minister. None of the lawmakers chosen by Ishiba were implicated in the party’s slush fund scandal.
A day before he was officially elected, Ishiba announced plans for a snap election on October 27. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, he said that, “It is important for the new administration to be judged by the people as soon as possible.” The opposition, however, felt he should have waited, at least until he was sworn in as prime minister. “It is an unprecedented and extremely unusual move,” said Junya Ogawa, secretary-general of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. “There are constitutional questions, and we demand an apology and a retraction.”
Shibuya Introduces Year-Round Ban on Public Drinking
Alcohol consumption in public places in Tokyo’s Shibuya ward is now officially prohibited. The year-round ban went into effect on Tuesday, October 1. It’s an extension on an ordinance that was established in 2019, when Shibuya banned street drinking for the Halloween period as well as year-end and New Year holidays. With locals continuing to complain about alcohol-related problems and piles of litter being left by revelers in the area, particularly since COVID-19 was downgraded to the same category as seasonal influenza in 2023, authorities decided to make the restrictions effective all year round.
The no-drinking zone covers areas surrounding JR and Keio Shibuya stations, including Miyashita Park and near the Shibuya ward office. Security guards will patrol the region between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m. daily, however, no penalty will be imposed on violators. Shibuya is Japan’s first municipality to implement a street drinking ban, but it may not be the last. In June, the Shinjuku ward assembly passed an ordinance to prohibit alcohol consumption in public spaces in and around Kabukicho, but only for Halloween. The ban will begin at between 5 p.m. on October 31 and last for 12 hours.
Sugar Baby Riri’s Sentence Reduced by Six Months
On Monday, the Nagoya High Court sentenced Mai Watanabe to eight-and-a-half years in prison for defrauding three men out of ¥155 million. It’s a six-month reduction on her previous sentencing in April of this year. The fine of ¥8 million, however, was upheld. Watanabe, 25, a former sex worker, who goes by the name of “itadakijoshi-Riri-chan” (Sugar Baby Riri), was first arrested in 2023 on charges of aiding and abetting fraud through her papakatsu guidebooks, which advised women how to con men out of money. She was then rearrested later in the year.
Watanabe was charged with swindling a man in his 50s out of ¥117 million. It then came to light that she had also defrauded two other men out of a combined ¥38 million and had evaded paying income tax. “The damage you inflicted on the victims is not limited to money,” Presiding Judge Mihoko Tanabe told Watanabe after handing down the ruling. “I would like you to think again about how to compensate the victims in the future.” A former host club staff member paid one of the victim’s ¥18 million in compensation on behalf of Watanabe. He’s also on trial for receiving money she had defrauded from the victims.
Tokyo Voted World’s Best Big City
Tokyo has regained its spot as the world’s best big city in the lifestyle magazine Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2024. Japan’s capital finished second behind Singapore last year, but the two cities traded places for the latest edition. Sydney, Cape Town and Vienna made up the top five. More than 575, 000 votes were cast this time around. The last time Tokyo finished on top was in 2021. Governor Yuriko Koike expressed her appreciation to all the readers who voted and spoke about why she thinks it placed number one.
“Tokyo is a city where visitors can experience a distinctive culture, with traditional shrines and temples coexisting alongside innovative anime and the latest pop culture in a rare charm that entices the world,” she said. “The downtown area is lined with functional high-rise buildings, while there are also spaces of natural beauty, surrounded by lush greenery and water. Along with traditional Japanese food, visitors can enjoy a variety of cuisines from around the world. This result reaffirms for me how the appeal of Tokyo is well recognized by people around the world.”
Shohei Ohtani Misses Out on Triple Crown
Shohei Ohtani finished his first regular season for the Los Angeles Dodgers as the National League’s home run king with 54. He also had the most RBIs (130), but missed out on the Triple Crown as his batting average of .310 was slightly lower than Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres, who batted .314. In the last league game of the campaign, Ohtani stole his 59th base in the Dodgers 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. His team will now face the Padres in the best-of-five National League Division Series. It begins on Saturday night.
In men’s soccer, Keito Nakamura and Junya Ito both netted in Reims 3-1 win against Angers. Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi also found the net in Celtic’s 6-0 thumping victory over St. Johnstone. Maeda scored again in the UEFA Champions League against Borussia Dortmund, but the Hoops were hammered 7-1. Shuto Machino bagged a brace in Holstein Kiel’s 4-2 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. Takefusa Kubo grabbed the opener in Real Sociedad’s 3-0 win over Valencia. And Hidemasa Morita scored his first of the campaign in Sporting’s 3-0 victory against Estoril. In the Europa Conference League, Tsuyoshi Watanabe netted in Gent’s 4-2 defeat to Chelsea.
