Japan News

Japan let one person with Corona virus get off the Diamond Princess cruise

The Japanese Times reported that after testing and letting nearly 1,000 Diamond Princess passengers embark onboard, the country left a woman positive for Corona virus (Covid-19).

According to the Japan Times, more and more doubts have been raised about quarantine work on the government’s Diamond Princess yacht. On February 22, news broke out about a woman who was positive for the Corona virus after being allowed to leave the train and return home.

Nhật Bản để lọt một người nhiễm virus Corona xuống khỏi du thuyền Diamond Princess - 1

The information was later confirmed by the provincial government Tochigi, the hometown of female travelers infected with the Corona virus. On Saturday (February 22), the Japanese government was heavily criticized after letting 23 tourists aboard the Diamond Princess leave without additional testing.

“I am sorry about my mistake. We will try our best not to make the same mistakes again”, said Katsunobu Kato, Minister of Health of Japan.

The woman from Tochigi Prefecture was the first to be found infected with Corona virus among 969 people allowed to leave the Diamond Princess. The person returned home by public transport and wore a mask during the move, the Tochigi prefectural government said.

“It is thought that people who left the ship were not at risk of the virus spreading. However, until now, it is clear that those people may be positive for Corona virus. We call on the government to take additional measures immediately”, said Tomokazu Fukuda, the mayor of Tochigi.

“There are still many shortcomings on board. There is no guarantee that these tests will not leave a person infected with the virus. Some people allowed to leave the ship can also test positive for Corona virus”, said Koji Wada, professor of public health research at the University of International Health and Welfare (Japan).

Diamond Princess Yacht with 3,711 passengers and crew were quarantined at Japan’s Yokohama port since 4.2 after a traveler was positive for Corona virus. A total of 634 people on the cruise ship were infected with the virus, of which, 3 died.

About Japan, Japan News

The Government of Japan adopts record budget for the fiscal year 2020

In addition to social security, in Japan’s 2020 fiscal budget, defense spending increased 1.1% to 5,313.3 billion yen, a record high and marked the 8th consecutive year of increase.

The Japanese government on December 20 approved the next year’s budget of 102,658 billion yen (about US $939 billion), the largest ever, up 1.2% compared to 2019.

Spending on social security continues to account for a major portion of Japan’s 2020 fiscal budget with 35% of the total budget. The expected expenditure for social security in the fiscal year 2020 is 35,860.8 billion yen, an increase of 1,730.2 billion yen compared to fiscal 2019, which is equivalent to 5.1%.

This is the main reason for the total spending of the Japanese Government to increase.

In addition to social security, defense spending also increased by 1.1% to 5,313.3 billion yen, a record high and marking the 8th consecutive year of increase. This increase is supposed to strengthen and develop defense systems in new areas such as the universe, cyberspace, electromagnetic waves.

In contrast to the upward trend, spending on education and science of Japan in the fiscal year 2020 is estimated to decrease by 1.5%, expenditures related to public activities will also decrease by 0.8% compared to the fiscal year 2019.

In terms of budget revenue, with the increase in consumption tax from 8% to 10% from last October, Japan’s tax revenue will reach its highest level ever, but this amount is believed to be a gap compared to the government’s expenditure estimates, so Japan’s public debt will continue to rise.

Japan’s tax revenue estimate for the fiscal year 2020 is 63,513 billion yen, an increase of 1.6% compared to fiscal 2019. This increase will help Japan reduce its dependence on government bonds, expected total value. Bond issuance will be reduced by 0.5% compared to fiscal 2019, marking the 10th consecutive year of decline. However, due to the expansion of public works, Japanese government bonds for construction will increase by 2.3% compared to fiscal 2019.

Japan’s non-tax budget revenue for fiscal year 2020 is estimated at 6,588.8 billion yen, up 4.6%.

The total budget deficit of Japan in 2020 is forecast at 9,200 billion yen equivalent to 2019. The Cabinet meeting of the Government of Japan on December 20 also approved the tax regime reform outline for the fiscal course of 2020, which encourages businesses to use the existing accumulated capital from business activities.

According to the plan, the 2020 fiscal budget will be submitted to the Japanese National Assembly in January 2020 at the regular meeting and approved in the 2019 fiscal year (until April 2020).

Japanese Culture, Sports in Japan

History of Judo – a famous martial art of Japan

Origin of Japanese martial arts

The Takeouchi-ryu martial arts system was founded in 1532 and is considered the beginning of Japanese Jujitsu martial arts. This martial art originated from Jujitsu, the art of attacking as well as defending that without using weapons.

Jūdō is a Japanese martial art that was founded in 1882 by martial arts teacher and professor Kano Jigoro (1860-1938) on the basis of the Japanese traditional Jūjitsu. Jūjitsu is a martial art that fights with breaking arms, breaking the neck, easily hurting students, so Kano removed those violent elements and made Judo more sporty.

Judo does not use weapons, but the main attacks are to fall, crush, strangle and lock hands and feet. Slashing and stabbing with hands and feet as well as defensive weapons are part of judo, but only in advance arrangements and are not allowed in judo or practice competitions. A judo practitioner is called a judoka.

Kodokan Judo

In 1882, TS. Jigoro Kano (Father of Judo) conducted a comprehensive study of the ancient defensive martial arts and integrates the best martial arts into a sport called Kodokan Judo.

Professor Kano applied the most refined parts of Jujitsu and removed the bad parts to create the Kodokan Judo. In a few years, Kodokan Judo was perfected and became excellent. The most evident is when the Kodokan Judo students won overwhelmingly Jujitsu athletes at the Bujitsu Police Competition.

In 1887, this kind of martial art was clearly classified. The Kodokan divides three major goals for students: physical education, effective competition and mental training.

Jigoro Kano

He has achieved a doctorate in Judo. This is rated as a level equivalent to the twelfth rank, only awarded to the founder. Jigoro Kan continuously researched and worked on the development of the sport in general, as well as Japanese sports in particular. He is known as the Father of Japanese sports. In 1935, he was awarded the Asahi Prize for his outstanding contributions to sports organization in Japan throughout his life.

About Japan, Japanese Culture

Japanese instant foods are famous around the world

Not only famous for instant noodles covering the world, but Japan is also the cradle producing many convenient and equally attractive foods such as instant rice, cheese pasta, etc.

Donburi is essentially a noun for all types of cooked rice by placing foods on top of cooked and tightly packed rice in a bowl.

With a fairly simple way of making, the taste is not inferior to the delicacy, this dish has become popular in the land of the rising sun.

Donburi is divided into 3 classes including eggs/meat, vegetables with different flavors and rice. All of the ingredients are skillfully tasted when combined to create a delicious aroma difficult to resist.

To get this delicious dish, you only need to peel the top cover, then, add a little water on the rice and microwave for 3 minutes to enjoy.

Macaroni is also known as Italian macaroni, cooked with one or more types of cheese, along with milk cream and other spices to create a rich, rich flavor. Although it is a dish originating from Europe, it is extremely popular in Japan because of its convenience and is suitable for breakfast.

Nui cheese instant noodles in Japan come in 3 different flavors, depending on each person’s preferences including Parmesan, Gorgonzola, and Gouda, especially, inside there are also corn and mushrooms. To enjoy this dish, you just need to add a little water and let the microwave roast for 2-3 minutes so all the melted cheese blends into the soft pasta.

Also, a dish of foreign origin, curry, when introduced into Japan, has become a “hybrid child” with variations and adjustments to better suit the taste of the people of the UK Curry and not knowing when curry rice is famous around the world with the nickname: “Japanese specialties”.

In Phu Tang, there are many famous instant curry brands with different flavors from easy to eat too hard to swallow such as: traditional curry, matcha curry or even chocolate curry.

Green tea rice (Ochazuke) is considered to be the most mixed and extremely popular rice dish in Japan. Ochazuke is used by everyone for lunches with little time to prepare.

Two other Asian countries, Korea and China, also have the habit of eating rice with green tea, but their food ingredients are very different, depending on the region.

Because of its convenience, companies in Japan have launched Ochazuke products with seaweed, dried salmon, rice and green tea. Your job is just to boil the water in the rice and put the microwave back to the heat, you can enjoy this aromatic and hot dish right away.

Japan News, Sports in Japan

Chinese pneumonia threatens the 2020 Olympic Games when it spreads to Japan

The outbreak of the Coronavirus (pneumonia) in China has raised concerns about a global pandemic that Japan faces the potential for infection to attack preparations for the 2020 Olympic Games.

According to initial statistics, the new virus killed 17 people and nearly 600 infected people affected the 2020 Olympic qualifying events taking place in China next month, resulting in the cancellation of matches. Boxing in Wuhan City, which is considered the focus of the outbreak, and women’s football qualifier moved to Nanjing.

Although Japan has only discovered one case, it has raised a great risk of infection when millions of travelers attend the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. Kazuhiro Tateda, president of the Japan Association of Infectious Diseases, told a brief meeting on January 22 that they had to be very careful about what kind of infectious disease would appear at the Tokyo Olympics.

Organizers of the 2020 Olympic Games are working with the government. “Measures to deal with infectious diseases are an important part of our plan to host safe competitions”, the BTC representative of Tokyo 2020 said in a statement. The Japanese host, on 23 January, has raised the level of an infectious disease warning in Wuhan, urging citizens to avoid trips to the city.

This is not the first time fear of infectious diseases has threatened the Olympics. In 2016, the Zika virus caused some health experts to call for postponement or relocation of matches in Brazil. Until recently, Japanese health agencies were more concerned about increasing regular vaccinations before foreign visitors arrived this summer.

Ikuo Tsunoda, a microbiology professor at Kindai University, said the Coronavirus is quite dangerous, but the uncertain or incorrect information spread very quickly, but instead of trying to prevent and respond, rumors and frightening the public, causing a mess. The professor compared the new virus to the fear of mad cow disease in the early 2000s, causing Japan to ban beef imports from the United States and other countries, although there is little evidence of human transmission.

About Japan

5 interesting things about Japanese students

For foreigners, some aspects of the Japanese education system may surprise them. It shows through 5 interesting facts in the daily life of Japanese students

  1. Teachers must not expel students from class
    Article 26 of the Japanese Constitution states that everyone has the right to equal access to education. Therefore, if Japanese teachers are upset at an obedient student, they will often calm down and try to patiently finish the class, according to Japan Info.
  2. Lunch is the same and students serve themselves
    An interesting fact of public schools in Japan is that all students have the same lunch. All students eat the same foods and must finish them within the allotted time.
    Most public schools in Japan have no cafeterias so students have no chance to buy other foods. However, on special occasions, students may be allowed to bring food from home in accordance with the instructions of the school.
    Japanese students take turns serving lunch to their classmates. The catering team will have a kitchen outfit including a white cape and hat. After the meal, everyone is responsible for cleaning up and dumping leftovers into the bin. All are supervised by teachers.
  1. Teachers and students eat together in class
    Many countries ban students from eating in the classroom regardless of time, but Japanese students eat lunch in the classroom. Tables and chairs are arranged together so that more people can sit together. This way helps children better bond with each other.
  2. Students do not remain in the classroom despite the low scores
    In Japan, students can fail tests but still go to class and be present at the graduation ceremony. Scores are only important for admission to high school and college.
  3. Students are also janitors
    Japanese schools have almost no workers. Students must clean the classroom, campus, and restrooms by themselves. Every school spends a certain amount of time cleaning every day, called “souji”.
    Not only the students but also the teachers and the principals clean. There are no exceptions, everyone is assigned and maintained general hygiene.
Japanese Entertaiment

The most handsome actors in Japan

The most handsome Japanese actors voted by the community are Shota Sometani, Suda Masaki, Haruma Miura, Kanata Hongo, Satoh Takeru, Okada Masaki, Kamiki Ryunosuke and Yamada Ryosuke.

It can be said that this is also the famous male actors from Japan up to now.

Shota Sometani

In 2014, the 21-year-old actor achieved great success through the thriller movie Parasites. Although still very young, Shota has had many impressive roles that are critically acclaimed. In 2015, Shota will continue to warm up the name with parasite part 2 and action film adaptation of Strayer’s Chronicles. After the movie Parasites, Shota Sometani is one of the hottest names in Japanese entertainment.

Suda Masaki

Starting with the movie Kamen Rider W in 2010, Masaki has had impressive success to date. Although young, but Masaki has won many prestigious awards, acting is highly appreciated. Possessing a delicate face, natural acting talent, and continuous image changes, Masaki has a lot of fans regardless of age. 2014 was Masaki’s successful year with an Academy Award for his role as a villain in the movie Death.

Haruma Miura

Miura is very popular through the films Crows Zero 2, Gokusen, Bloody Monday, Sky Of Love, Last Cinderella and is one of the young actors with the largest fan base in Japan, the ace of the handsome boy group Amuse. In the near future, this actor will play the main role in the hit movie adaptation of Attack On Titan. Starting from the role of a child actor, the actor born in 1990 has a huge movie fortune with many prestigious awards.

Kanata Hongo

Having acted since a very young age, Kanata has a huge fortune, including famous films such as Prince Tennis, Gantz, Bear Head and Glasses, etc. Only in 2014, the male actor This young-faced member has appeared in movies for a number of successes. In 2015 Kanata is expected to make an impressive breakthrough with the role of Armin in Attack On Titan.

 Satoh Takeru

Since the beginning, Satoh has achieved many successes through the films Kamen Rider Den-O, Bloody Monday, The Liar And His Lover. Through the role of the Kenshin in three parts: Rurouni Kenshin, 25-year-old amuse of the Amuse family has become one of the top stars in Japan with a large fan base in many countries around the world.

Japanese Entertaiment

About traditional Japanese music you need to know

Archaeological results and Chinese documents both show evidence of music in Japan dating back to the 3rd century BC.

Normally, it is thought that the traditional history of Japanese music dates back to the Nara period (710-794). Japanese music has its roots in the music of Buddhism and the musical traditions of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in China.

Buddhism was considered the official religion of the court in the 6th century, and the sounds and music theory of Buddhism had a great influence in Japan. Chinese and Korean courts and temples are the source and model for almost all Japanese court and temple music, but due to the strong international impact of Asia since the 7th century to the 10th century, we could see the effects of South and Southeast Asia.

The court dances or instrumental music, collectively known as gagaku, reflect those origins when classified into two categories: togaku is music of Chinese or Indian origin, and komagaku is music from Korea and Manchuria.

Although ancient Japanese musical traditions are preserved to this day, each period creates music styles that better suit the needs and tastes of that period, typically biwa and shakuhachi bamboo flute.

But the new 3-string shamisen was the most representative of the new musical styles of the period from the 16th century to the 19th century. In the 18th century, jorury storytelling was performed by troubadour artists. with the shamisen becoming an important source of literary creation.

Kabuki has used some of the above materials in his plays but has also incorporated other types of music using the shamisen, plus the percussion, flute of Noh plays, and a variety of folk instruments.

The sound of traditional Japanese music may not be easy to hear for first-time listeners. But if you have the opportunity to hear many times, in the festive atmosphere, in traditional plays, you will find it gives you an extremely refreshing, pleasant mood.

Japan News

Japan is racing to face recognition technology with China

From shopping, banking to boarding procedures, an economy based on face recognition is going deep into Japanese society, allowing consumers to live without cash, without pockets or cards.

When visitors land at Nanki-Shirahama airport, west of Wakayama province, they are welcomed, not by the famous pandas in Shirahama town, but by a TV screen that says “Welcome to you – A “.

Visitors can buy chewing gum at the store with their own faces, entering the hotel room without a key. They can also go to Adventure World amusement park through the door through face recognition, then watch pandas and dolphins freely.

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, this is part of a face recognition test that Japanese electronics company NEC has conducted in Shirahama last month. The Japanese electronics maker believes that the convenience combined with the peace of mind of data security will be a winning formula in the face recognition technology market.

Research firm Mordor Intelligence of India predicts that the global face recognition market will double from 2018 to 2024, reaching US $9.1 billion, as the technology expands into driving fields, self-welding vehicles, financial and medical treatment.

There is no doubt that Chinese companies have dominated the field, as they have increased their rankings in terms of scale and accuracy. But when Washington and Beijing are aggressively competing for trade and technology, Japanese players are not on the sidelines either.

NEC’s world leading face authentication technology is based on the technology the company had set up half a century ago to decode text characters. In 1989, the company started researching face authentication, with an incorrect identification rate of about 30% in the early stages.

But NEC has continually improved the accuracy and speed of technology, applied artificial intelligence and developed an original algorithm. NEC’s false detection rate is now reduced to only 0.5%. Speed ​​and capability far exceed those of other companies, which is why NEC’s technology ranks first in the benchmark test of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company is one of the Chinese businesses that have earned money. They have become the largest surveillance camera manufacturer in the world, thanks in part to offering products at half the price of advanced vendors in the world.

Three of the players who surpassed NEC in the Top 2018 ranked by NIST were Chinese companies, including Yitu Technology Company, Shenzhen Advanced Technology Institute and SenseTime. This has been a spectacular step forward since 2013, when no Chinese company was in the Top 5.

But new barriers are rising as Washington and Beijing fall into trade and technology tensions. Hikvision’s growth has slowed, with sales increasing 10% per year in the first half of 2019 – only one third of 2017.

Japan News

Japan spends nearly 150 million USD on buying desert islands to deal with China

The island, which the Japanese government paid for, will be used as Japan’s new military base, in its determination to protect the Diaoyu Islands, which Japan calls the Senkakus. This is also the focus of the Japanese territorial dispute with China in recent years.

The Japanese government recently completed the purchase of a deserted island, called Mageshima, located between Kyushu and Okinawa (Japan), for 16 billion yen (US $ 146 million).

Japan intends to develop the new island as a military base for the Japanese and American forces. Previously, the island was owned by a private company.

Mageshima is an island in the Osumi archipelago system of Japan. During the period near the end of World War II, there was an unimportant Japanese air base built on this island.

The military development plan on Mageshima island is part of Tokyo’s revised security doctrine. Japan is determined to protect its offshore islands, located in the southern region of the country, from the risk of escalating territorial disputes with China.

The Japanese government entered into a deal with Tokyo-based Taston Airport, in January 1919, to acquire Mageshima island, 8.2 km2 wide for 4.5 billion yen, owned by the company.

However, in May of this year, the deal was not possible when Taston Airport replaced the new chairman and asked for more money. The Japanese government had to agree to buy Mageshima island for 16 billion yen, after taking into account the amount of money Taston had invested in the island.

US military aircraft are currently not allowed to conduct flight operations at bases on mainland Japan, due to concerns about noise pollution. Therefore, aircraft from the US air base at Iwakuni, in central Japan, have to fly about 1,400km south to reach the base at Iwo To.

Mageshima Island is just 400km from Iwo To Island, making it an ideal location for the construction of a new base.

Tokyo also plans to relocate part of the U.S. military stationed in Okinawa to the new island, to reduce the inconvenience for local residents when affected by the noise, due to the presence of US troops.

There are hundreds of uninhabited islands off the coast of Japan, though the vast majority are small and lack the necessary infrastructure to support the lives of their inhabitants. However, there are also 40 other islands much larger, including the Senkakus Islands, which the Chinese call Diaoyu, in western Okinawa Prefecture – Japan. Currently, Japan is having territorial disputes at sea with China and Taiwan.