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Last Week in Japanese News 03/19/2023-03/25/2023 [1]
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Date: 2023-03-26
Hello, RWPOINTWOMAN and this is Last Week in Japanese News. This is where I translate Japanese articles about Japan from the Easy section of the Japanese news reader app into English.
On with the show!
March 19, 2023:
Bank of Japan government bond holding ratio up to 52% at ¥547 trillion, highest ever. (Asahi)
It has been revealed that large-scale monetary easing has resulted in the percentage of the National debt it holds rising to is highest level ever. According to the Bank of Japan, Japan's national debt was ¥1.051 quadrillion at the end of last year excluding that which was issued for short term fundraising purposes. The Bank of Japan holds ¥547 trillion of this, which accounts for 52%. The Bank of Japan got an increase in the upper limit off the range of fluctuation of the interest rate last December and investors increased the sale of the national debt in anticipation of rising interest rates, thereby increasing the percent held by the Bank of Japan. "De facto finance"—Japanese government financing on the market with the support of the Bank of Japan—was also criticized.
March 20, 2023:
Work continues on wall made of snow along road leading to Lake Towada in Aomori Prefecture. (NHK)
When winter hits the Hakkoda-Towada Gold Line, which is a road that goes to Lake Towards, it becomes impassable. Aomori Prefecture worked on cleaning up the snow in the last 3rd of last month. The piled up snow is removed and the road is widened little by little. According to the prefecture, the wall of snow is roughly 6.5 m tall. A person who worked on it stated, "We made a beautiful white wall of snow. We want to surprise those who come to see this tall wall of snow." The plan is to clear the road by April 1.
March 22, 2023:
Prime Minister Kishida meets with President Zelensky. (NHK)
Prime Minister Kishida went to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and met with President Zelensky on March 21. He also went to Bucha, where many citizens died because of the Russian invasion. Prime Minister Kishida stated, "I went to see Kyiv and Bucha and strongly believe that Russia's invasion is a cruel act that violates international law." And then he pledged more aid to Ukraine. Prime Minister Kishida stated, "We will assist the beautiful country of Ukraine until peace returns to it." President Zelensky stated, "I want Japan's help removing landmines and repairing damaged towns." And then he said that he would attend the G7 Summit to be held in May in Hiroshima online.
March 23, 2023:
Flying car to begin commercial use around 2025. (NHK)
The Flying Car is a vehicle that people ride that flies through the sky. Countries, companies, etc. have decided on plans for initiating use in Japan. According to them, it has characteristics like being electric and autopilot and can take off and land vertically. Propellers, wings, etc. are divided into 3 types. The sites where it will take off and land will be called Vertiports and will created on site like the roofs of buildings. In the sky, there will be corridors just for the Flying Car. The Flying Car will be used in heavily populated towns and in the spaces between them and in hard-to-reach locations like mountains and islands. It will also be used during disasters. The plan is to have businesses use it starting around 2025.
March 24, 2023:
Japan to recognize persecution due to being a sexual minority as grounds for granting refugee status under new guidelines. (NHK)
The United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees says that a "refugee" is someone who is worried that they will suffer consequences such as persecution due to characteristics including race, religion, and political views. However, Japan has strict criteria for determining eligibility for refugee status that are said to be difficult to meet. Because of this, the Immigration Services Agency has created the 1st set of guidelines. It says that the guidelines state that refugee status can also be granted based on concerns regarding violence over characteristics like being a sexual minority as well as race, political views, etc. It is necessary for the applicant to prove that they are truly endangered from things like violence. The Immigration Services Agency says, "We believe that it would be good to make it possible for the public to quickly learn about the regulations regarding refugee status approval."
That's all for now.
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