JAPANESE BRAZILIANS CARRY ON JAPAN'S CULTURE IN SONGブラジル版の“紅白歌合戦”

Japanese Brazilians have demonstrated their skills singing Japanese songs at an annual event inspired by NHK's year-end music festival. The 26th Grand Kouhaku singing contest took place in Sao Paulo on Sunday. The event is aimed at passing on Japanese songs and culture to younger generations. Brazil has the world's largest population of people of Japanese descent outside of Japan. This year, 64 contestants, ranging from five to over 80 years old, took part. The singers included some who had won karaoke contests in Brazil.

(Ebihara Tadao / Organizer) “The number of people in the first generation is gradually decreasing. But there are many young people who love Japanese culture, and we'd like to pass it on to them.”

 ◆pass on  引き継ぐ 

 ◆people of Japanese ～系の（祖先を持つ）人々 

 ◆ range from A to B   （物事などの幅が）ＡからＢに及ぶ、ＡとＢまでの幅がある」 

 ◆in the first generation 「（日系人の）第１世代 

BROKEN TOY? YOU BETTER NOT CRY …クリスマス前に“おもちゃ病院”が活躍

Nobody likes to see a broken toy, especially at Christmas. But help is at hand from a group of generous volunteers across Japan. They're not elves, but they are skilled. This workshop in Tokyo is known as a “toy hospital.” There are others nationwide. And they're especially busy at this time of year. The volunteers breathe new life into gifts from Christmases past. This man in his 70s brought a Santa Claus doll that belonged to his daughter, who died seven years ago.

(Man brings in Santa doll) “She loved it when he moved. This doll is filled with memories of my family.”

Japan's “toy hospitals” have been running for decades. Some gifts just keep on giving.

 ◆elf 小人  

 

ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CEASEFIRE IN EFFECTイスラエルとレバノン 停戦合意発効

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is in effect. The Israeli and Lebanese governments arranged the deal after over a year of clashes, including exchanges of airstrikes and rockets in just the past few days. The ceasefire began 4 a.m. local time Wednesday, shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden announced it. The U.S. says Hezbollah will withdraw from the south. Lebanon's army and security forces will regain control. They'll prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding infrastructure as Israeli forces gradually pull out over the next 60 days. Israel's prime minister said his country agreed to the deal to focus on threats from Iran, as well as Hamas in Gaza. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati says the agreement is a fundamental step toward establishing calm and stability. And he says it will lay the groundwork for the return of people who have been displaced by the fighting. Violence between Israel and Hezbollah began after Hamas launched its October 7 attack from Gaza.

 ◆ceasefire 停戦 

 ◆exchange of　～の応酬  

 ◆regain　再び獲得する、取り戻す  

 ◆pull out　撤収する、引き揚げる  

 ◆lay the groundwork for～の下地を作る、～の土台を築く、～の準備をする 

 ◆displace　住む場所を追われた人々、避難民 

 

JAPAN-LED TEAM DEVELOPS OCEAN-DEGRADABLE PLASTIC

An international team led by a Japanese researcher says it has developed a new type of plastic that breaks down in seawater. It says the material is durable and recyclable and can help reduce pollution by keeping microplastics out of the oceans. Aida Takuzo at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science heads the team. It published its results in the U.S. journal Science on Friday. The researchers sought to develop a material to replace conventional plastics made from fossil fuels. They say their new type of plastic is colorless and transparent and has the same strength and thermal resistance as polypropylene. They call the new material supramolecular plastic – “polymers with structures held together by reversible interactions.” They made the substance by combining two ionic monomers, one of which is a common food additive. The plastic's main ingredients can both be broken down by bacteria.

 ◆journal （専門分野の）学術誌、刊行物  

 ◆fossil fuel　化石燃料 

 ◆thermal resistance　耐熱性 

 ◆supramolecular　地球外の存在、地球外生命体 

PENTAGON RELEASES ANNUAL UFO REPORT米 UFOの誤認報告増える

The Pentagon has published its annual update on unidentified flying objects, widely known as UFOs. The report found many cases could be traced not to aliens but to origins closer to home. The U.S. Department of Defense released the document on Thursday. It says it received 757 reports of what it calls “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” or UAP, in the 13 months through June 1. They came mainly from the United States, the Middle East, and East Asia. About 300 were found to be objects such as balloons, birds, or unmanned aerial systems. The department notes a rise in cases in which SpaceX Starlink satellites were mistakenly reported as UAP. But the document reveals nothing new about possible alien life.

(Sabrina Singh / U.S. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary) “The department has discovered no verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity or technology.”

The department says it'll continue analyzing the unresolved cases.

 ◆unidentified anomalous phenomena未確認異常現象  

 ◆unmanned aerial systems　無人航空システム、つまり無人機

 ◆verifiable　検証可能な   

 ◆extraterrestrial being　地球外の存在、地球外生命体 

MAKING OF JAPAN'S ALCOHOLIC DRINKS TO GET UNESCO LISTING“伝統的酒造り” ユネスコ無形文化遺産登録へ

Japan's traditional alcoholic drinks, including sake and shochu, have been gaining popularity around the world. Now the know-how of making them is about to be honored by UNESCO. Japan's Cultural Affairs Agency says a UN advisory panel has recommended the method of making the drinks be added to the world body's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The original method of producing the beverages, which is still used, was established more than 500 years ago. It involves steaming rice or barley, creating koji mold, and then fermenting the drinks. The craftsmanship has evolved according to the natural characteristics of individual regions and has been passed down through generations. The drinks have long been used in traditional rituals and festivals and have served an essential role in Japanese culture. The cultural agency says the UNESCO committee is expected to make the listing official at a meeting in December in Paraguay.

 ◆Intangible （資産や文化財などが）無形の    an intangible quality or feeling is difficult to describe exactly 

 ◆barley 大麦 a plant that produces a grain used for making food or alcohol 

 

ISHIBA ELECTED JAPAN'S PRIME MINISTER AFTER RUNOFF第103代首相に石破茂氏

Ishiba Shigeru has been re-elected prime minister of Japan, following a runoff vote in the Diet's Lower House. It was the first vote of its kind in 30 years, after the ruling coalition lost its majority in last month's election.

(Nukaga Fukushiro / Lower House Speaker) “This chamber has hereby decided to designate Mr. Ishiba Shigeru as prime minister.”

Ishiba, who leads the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party, beat the Constitutional Democratic Party leader Noda Yoshihiko in the second round of voting. Despite losing ground in October, the LDP remains the largest party in the Lower House and still has the support of its junior coalition partner, Komeito. Opposition parties failed to rally behind one candidate. Any time there's a cabinet change, Japan's Emperor ceremonially endorses the new ministers. After that ceremony, Ishiba is expected to hold a news conference to present his next moves.

 ◆runoff vote 決選投票  

 ◆ruling coalition 連立政権  

 

FUNAI ELECTRIC TO BEGIN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS船井電機 破産手続き開始決定

Japanese electronics maker Funai Electric received court approval Thursday to begin bankruptcy proceedings. The money-losing company was once known for selling its products around the world. The Osaka-based company was established in 1961 and has made TVs, videotape players, printers, air conditioners, and other products. In 2000, the firm was listed on the former first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The company's website says it began manufacturing liquid crystal display TVs in 2002, and the products once had a top share in the North American market. But its business deteriorated amid increased competition with Chinese makers and other rivals. In 2021, the company went under the umbrella of a Tokyo-based publishing firm and was delisted.  Funai reported a net loss of 13.1 billion yen, or about 86 million dollars for the year ending March 2024 in an August statement. Total liabilities stood at 46.1 billion yen, or over 303 million dollars.

 ◆money-losing 損失を出している、採算の取れない、赤字  

 ◆deteriorate 悪化する、低下する  to become worse 

 ◆go under the umbrella of ～の傘下に入る   

 ◆delist 上場廃止にする   to remove the name of a company from a stock exchange list, so that its stocks, shares etc can no longer be traded there 

SOME JAPANESE FIRMS OFFERING PAY RAISES BEYOND 5%人材確保めざす企業に賃上げの動き

Some companies in Japan are promising pay increases higher than Rengo's goal. They've announced their offers well ahead of the next spring negotiations in an attempt to retain current workers and attract new hires. Nojima runs a home-appliance retail chain. It plans to raise its base wages in January for the third year in a row for its workforce of around 3,000. Employees at stores and call centers can expect an additional monthly allowance of up to 25,000 yen, or about 167 dollars, starting in April. That works out to a total raise of around 7 percent. Suntory Holdings has announced a hike of similar scale for next spring. It would be the third year in a row for the beverage maker to give raises. Attention is focused on whether other major firms will follow suit. The trend may also spread to small and medium-sized firms, where pay raises have tended to be relatively small.

◆hike（大幅な）引き上げ  a large increase in prices, wages, taxes etc 類義語 rise 

 

◆follow suit 後に続く、先例にならう、追随する、同じ措置を講じる to do the same as someone else has done  there are so few of them 

 

16 KINDS OF WOODLAND BIRDS DECLINING IN JAPANスズメなど里山の鳥が急減

Japan's Environment Ministry says the populations of 16 species of birds have been declining at a sharp pace. It notes that at this rate the species could become endangered. The ministry has been studying ecological changes at about 1,000 locations across Japan since 2003. It has analyzed ecological data collected in woodlands around villages up to March of 2023. It has found that, out of 106 species of birds, the populations of 16 of them have decreased by 3.5 percent or more annually. The rates of decline are similar to those of endangered species that appear on the ministry's Red List. The sparrow population has shrunk by 3.6 percent annually, and the Japanese wagtail population has declined by 8.6 percent. The ministry attributes the shrinking populations to global warming. It notes that the problem has reduced the number of habitats that are suitable for the species.

◆endangered 絶滅の危機にある、絶滅が危惧されている an endangered animal, bird etc is one that may soon no longer exist because there are so few of them 

◆habitat 生息地  生息地 the natural home of a plant or animal 

TEACHER SHORTAGE IN JAPAN GETTING MORE SERIOUS教員の不足人数 年度途中で1.3倍に

A shortage of schoolteachers in Japan has become increasingly serious since the beginning of the school year in April. NHK surveyed education boards nationwide and received data from 43 of 68 prefectures and designated cities. They reported a total staffing shortage of about 1,800 teachers in May, which increased 30 percent to nearly 2,400 by September. That is about 600 vacant teaching positions in just four months. Local governments report that they have difficulty finding enough substitute teachers, especially at elementary and middle schools, with a shortage increase of 40 percent. Officials say an increasing number of teachers took sick leave due to illness, as well as for maternity and childcare leave. Some municipal officials noted that vice principals and other administrative staff are trying to fill the void by taking on teaching duties themselves. Others point out that fewer people want to sign up for part-time teaching jobs.

◆nationwide 全国的にhappening or existing in every part of the country 類義語 countrywide 

◆childcare leave 育休

◆municipal 　地方自治体の   relating to or belonging to the government of a town or city 

◆fill the void　穴を埋める、穴埋めする    an empty area of space where nothing exists 

JAPAN POST HIKES RATES FOR FIRST TIME IN 30 YEARS郵便料金 30年ぶり値上げ

Japan Post raised postal rates starting on October 1 for the first time in 30 years. It cited a drop in postal service users as one reason behind the hikes. Another is rising logistics costs. The cost of postcards rose to 85 yen, or about 60 cents. Postage for standard-size items weighing 50 grams or less went up to 110 yen. Rates for sending documents were also hiked – Letter Pack Light envelopes went up to 430 yen, and Letter Pack Plus rose to 600 yen, or about 4 dollars. The firm expects to restore profitability in its postal business in fiscal 2025, but it foresees an operating loss again in fiscal 2026. The question now is how Japan Post can make its postal business more efficient while maintaining low rates for mail services throughout the country.

◆cite （例や理由などとして）挙げる、言及する   to mention something as an example, especially one that supports, proves, or explains an idea or situation

◆hike （料金や給料などの）引き上げ  especially American English informal a large increase in prices, wages, taxes etc 類義語 rise 

◆operating loss　営業損失   a loss relating to a company’s normal business operations, rather than to activities such as asset sales that only happen from time to time 

JAPAN'S RICE PRICES HIT RECORD HIGH FOR AUGUSTコメの取引価格 8月として過去最高

Shoppers in Japan have been facing rice shortages at retailers as the average wholesale price rose sharply in August. The agriculture ministry says industry cooperatives sold all varieties of rice produced in 2023 to wholesalers at just above 16,000 yen, or 114 dollars, per 60 kilograms on average. That's a rise of 17 percent from a year earlier. The price is the highest for August since the survey began with rice harvested in 2006. Demand from inbound tourists increased, while the supply fell due to heatwaves in the summer of last year. Many people bought rice at supermarkets to stock up for earthquakes and storms, leading to further shortages. The shortages are easing in Tokyo as newly harvested rice begins arriving in stores. But prices are 50 percent higher than last year.

◆on average 平均で       based on a calculation about how many times something usually happens, how much money someone usually gets, how often people usually do something etc 

SURVEY POINTS TO SHIFTING VIEWS ABOUT WORK AND PLAY“仕事より余暇を優先” 過去最高65%に

“All work and no play makes Japan a dull place.” Now, hang on — or so suggests a new survey. Nearly two-thirds of respondents value their free time more than their jobs. The figure is a record high. The non-profit Japan Productivity Center conducted the annual poll on about 3,300 people. More than a third say they find purpose in leisure rather than their job. And over 30 percent say they try to wrap up their work in good time to have fun elsewhere. Only about 12 percent place more value on work than leisure. Comparable data started in 2009. And the latest results point to a growing awareness about work-life balance. One official involved in the poll says the coronavirus pandemic and rise in remote working probably saw people reassess how they want to live. The survey also asked people how they spend their free time. Almost half say they travel in Japan.

◆hang on ちょっと待って    used to ask or tell someone to wait 類義語 hold on 

◆in good time　早めに、十分に余裕を持って、時間どおりに、順調に    public support for a course of action or way of doing things 

MIYAZAKI HAYAO WINS PRESTIGIOUS MAGSAYSAY AWARD宮崎駿監督にマグサイサイ賞

Japanese animation master Miyazaki Hayao has won this year's Ramon Magsaysay Award, also known as “Asia's Nobel Prize.” The Studio Ghibli co-founder is being recognized not only for his filmmaking but for what they say is his lifelong commitment to illuminating the human condition and inspiring the imagination of children. The foundation praises Miyazaki for tackling complicated topics like environmental protection, peace advocacy, and women's rights. It credits the director for using his art to make these issues comprehensible to children. Miyazaki's films often feature children and female characters who confront challenges. His works are also known for their deep respect for nature and profound warnings against human arrogance. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is given every year to individuals and groups for tackling challenges in Asia.

◆praise  称賛する   to say that you admire and approve of someone or something, especially publicly OPP criticize 

◆advocacy　推進、擁護、主張   public support for a course of action or way of doing things 

◆arrogance 傲慢な、横柄な、思い上がった     when someone behaves in a rude way because they think they are very important