This is the fifth installment of a series that follows the waves of change taking place in Kyushu and nearby Yamaguchi and Okinawa prefectures ahead of 2050 please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent By Hiroki Ikeda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer a city in Miyazaki Prefecture that commands a magnificent view of the Kirishima mountain range held its first auction of 2025 for calves of kuroge wagyu (black-haired Japanese cattle) on Jan In a marketplace filled with heat and the odors of livestock 891 cattle were auctioned off for prices that reached as high as ¥970,000 A calf belonging to breeder Natsuo Iwamoto was sold for ¥530,000 “It’s rewarding to see the cattle I’ve raised since birth valued so highly,” said Iwamoto who has worked in cattle breeding for about 19 months “I hope someday one of mine can be the one that gets the highest price.” ran an izakaya Japanese-style pub with his mother and others in Sakai but the establishment closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic At the invitation of an acquaintance from Miyakonojo Iwamoto learned cattle farming in the southern Kyushu city from a farmer who was looking for a successor and then took possession of a 50-year-old barn and 30 breeding cows He built a house in Miyakonojo with the money he made from selling the land of his home in Sakai He is enthusiastic about “giving my second life to cows.” a cattle hoof trimmer with about 30 years of experience who is also the former director of the local Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) organization said: “I’ve never heard of someone who isn’t a relative taking over a breeding farm It makes me really feel like Miyakonojo has become famous enough to bring in all sorts of people.” “Much joy from Miyakonojo: Japan’s best meat and shochu liquor.” Posters bearing this text dominate platform pillars of Tokyo Monorail Haneda Airport Terminal 1 Station which is passed through by travelers from all over Japan This advertising strategy was the brainchild of Miyakonojo native Takahisa Ikeda a former finance bureaucrat who became mayor in 2012 raised the city’s profile by promoting locally produced meat as well as alcohol from Kirishima Shuzo Co. which boasts the nation’s highest shochu sales as thank-you gifts under the furusato nozei hometown tax donation system Taxes paid to the city under the system rose from a few million yen a year to ¥19.3 billion in fiscal 2023 making Miyakonojo the top donation recipient among all Japanese municipalities for the second year in a row people used to read [the characters in] ‘Miyakonojo’ as ‘Tojo,’ and izakaya would mistakenly serve Kurokirishima [shochu] as ‘made in Kagoshima Prefecture,’” Ikeda said The city used the furusato nozei tax revenue as a source of funding to expand its support system for people moving into the city In fiscal 2024 it offered new arrival subsidies of up to ¥5 million per household It also offers free daycare to support people raising children 5,136 people moved into the city between fiscal 2023 and the end of December 2024 its population recorded an increase for the first time in 13 years as a wave of change has swept through the city Eighty percent of the city’s incoming heads of households are in their 20s to 40s and the city is short of childcare facilities The city has established a subsidy system to secure childcare workers and is building extensions to some elementary schools which has a population of around 160,000 people has rushed to build more infrastructure in the past few years the city developed a 20-hectare industrial complex near the Miyazaki Expressway’s Miyakonojo Interchange consisting of 12 lots that came to be occupied by meat packers and other businesses Long-distance truck driver Kai Yukizaki moved into Miyakonojo — his wife’s hometown — from Yao in advance of the birth of their first son had opened a branch operations center in the complex The couple received a ¥2 million benefit from the city “The houses and parks are bigger here than in Osaka so we feel comfortable raising a child here The 44-kilometer-long Miyakonojo-Shibushi Road is being built to serve as the main artery through Japan’s leading livestock production area It will allow people to travel between the Miyakonojo Interchange and Shibushi Port The city also plans to build two more factory complexes of about 22 hectares in total which accepts emergency patients from inside and outside Miyakonojo is now building a heart and cerebrovascular center meant to accept severely ill patients who would otherwise have to be medevaced to hospitals in Miyazaki City The city is also well-supplied with leisure facilities which opened last year in Sekinoo Park and includes a campsite and cottages will serve as a support base for the coastal areas in the event of a Nankai Trough earthquake the city uses some of its furusato nozei funds to boost the functions of local facilities It renovated the Miyakonojo NiQLL roadside rest area in 2023 quadrupling its parking area to accommodate about 220 vehicles It also has a warehouse for stockpiling goods in case of emergency which has a new athletics field built by the prefecture creating a virtuous cycle that will bring in even more companies,” Miyakonojo Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Koichi Yasuda “Miyakonojo will serve as the hub of the southern Kyushu region.” One challenge the city is now facing is a shortage of successors for the current generation of cattle farmers whose work supports the production of the beef that serves as a source of wealth for the city there were about 860 farms with 23,000 mother cows in the city in 2022 but the figure dropped to about 700 farms with about 19,300 mother cows by the end of 2024 The rising cost of feed accelerated the decline in the numbers the volume of beef exported from Miyazaki Prefecture increased nearly threefold over five years to 1,248 tons in 2023 with further growth expected in exports to Southeast Asia and elsewhere “Miyakonojo is attracting younger generations with its child-rearing support measures and our focus now is on whether the city’s total fertility rate [which averaged 1.74 from 2018 to 2022] will increase,” Kousuke Motani a senior researcher at the Japan Research Institute “Miyakonojo should make the case to the rest of the country that agriculture will be a growth industry in the Reiwa era.” Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Please log in and check your service registration status.To cancel your subscription 1) === '|') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";");else document.write(unescape(l[i]));} Marketing that aims to draw tourists to a rural spot on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu seems perfectly pitched to entice hungry American service members Miyakonojo in Miyazaki prefecture is at the center of a region that ranks at the top of the country’s beef the city is surrounded by volcanoes and fertile farmland where cattle Local officials boast that meat from the area has won multiple prizes in Japan’s “Wagyu Olympics,” where some of the nation’s top beef is judged every five years Proud locals want visitors to taste what the region has to offer and are promoting it with a campaign they call “Meat Tourism.” You can see it online at meat-tourism.jp/en The goal is for visitors to eat meat while they meet and drink shochu The campaign’s symbol is a smiley face whose mouth is made of a fork connected to an airplane with the slogan: “meat … meet.” The campaign’s website includes information on restaurants serving meat dishes shochu distilleries and other tourism experiences Dozens of local eateries are part of the campaign where a recent press tour stopped to eat yakiniku in a large hall surrounded by lush countryside and a tranquil pond For lunch we had the yakiniku zanmai for 1,650 yen (about $14.30) pork and chicken served with mushrooms on a boat-shaped platter Diners cook the meat themselves on a grill heated by a small candle There are three types of sauce to dip your fried meat but I also liked adding a dash of salt left at one end of the meat boat Location: Tokiwa-so is at 2455-2 Nakagirishima An earthquake measuring an intensity of lower 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of 7 occurred in southern Miyazaki Prefecture at around 4:40 p.m according to the Japan Meteorological Agency Kushima and Miyakonojo in the prefecture as well as the town of Osaki in Kagoshima Prefecture saw an intensity of upper 5 The focus was at a depth of about 30 kilometers Tsunami advisories were issued for Miyazaki The first wave was expected to reach Ehime Prefecture at around 5:10 p.m Nankai Trough Earthquake Evacuation Shelters Open across 4 Prefectures in Japan as Advisory Issued; Some Have Already Evacuated Monitoring of Nankai Trough Heightened but No Abnormal Changes Observed; People Urged to Reexamine Disaster Preparedness Earthquake Information Scarce for Foreign Tourists; Govt Should Provide Information to Tourists, Expert Says Nankai Trough Megaquake Tsunami could Hit in 2 Minutes; Japan Authorities Urge Caution after Recent Earthquake AD Leave a rating/comment#PaintingBack to ArticlesSHARE A 59-year-old former employee at a vocational school in Miyazaki Prefecture was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Monday for sexually assaulting seven people including some students after drugging them with sleeping pills The Miyazaki District Court found Yoichi Tsuura who was a technical assistant at the National Institute of Technology sexually assaulted them by spiking their foods and drinks between July 2015 and March 2023 "The defendant took advantage of the victims' trust in him and carried out the premeditated crimes," Presiding Judge Hiroyuki Funato said in handing down the ruling Prosecutors had asked for 30 years in prison The college dismissed Tsuura in May last year after he was indicted It also released a statement on its website apologizing to the victims and their families after the ruling was handed down FEATURE: Nun speaks out over Tendai priest sexual abuse allegations Agency admits 2 Johnny's staffers also involved in sexual abuse Japan police report record high 123,000 child abuse cases in 2023 To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its first megaquake advisory covering 707 municipalities from Okinawa to Ibaraki prefectures after a magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck off Miyazaki Prefecture on Aug The 707 municipalities were designated in advance under the protocol for an expected monster quake emanating in the Nankai Trough in the Pacific Ocean The trough has a history of huge earthquakes occurring in pairs Residents along the Pacific coast are urged to take caution for a possible megaquake over the next week registered a maximum intensity of lower 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of 7 in Nichinan The epicenter was around 30 kilometers off the coast in the Hyuganada sea at a depth of 30 km It occurred within the estimated epicenter area of a megaquake in the Nankai Trough which stretches from the Tokai to Kyushu regions off the Pacific coast Conditions were met for the JMA to issue what is called the Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information and the experts issued the megaquake advisory for the first time since the system was introduced in November 2017 The JMA’s strongest megaquake warning calls for evacuations in advance “The possibility of a (Nankai Trough) earthquake occurring is now several times higher than usual,” Naoshi Hirata professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and chief of the JMA panel “We can’t tell exactly when or where a megaquake will occur but we want people to reaffirm their preparedness.” intensities of upper 5 were recorded in Kushima and Miyakonojo cities on Aug A tsunami advisory was issued for the Uwakai coast of Ehime Prefecture Kochi Prefecture and the Bungo Channel coast of Oita Prefecture Tsunami waves of 50 centimeters hit Miyazaki Prefecture Kagoshima and Kumamoto prefectures due to falling objects Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference on Aug 8 that no abnormalities were detected at nuclear facilities including the Sendai nuclear power plant in Satsumasendai huge earthquakes have occurred within short periods of each other along the Nankai Trough The magnitude-8.4 Showa Nankai Earthquake in 1946 struck two years after the magnitude 8.2 Showa Tonankai Earthquake hit in 1944 the magnitude-8.7 Ansei Nankai Earthquake occurred only about 32 hours after the magnitude-8.6 Ansei Tokai Earthquake Researchers say there is a possibility of 70 to 80 percent that an earthquake with a magnitude of 8 to 9 will occur in the Nankai Trough within the next 30 years The municipalities covered by the megaquake advisory can be seen from the QR code below (This article was written by Ryo Oyama and Shoko Rikimaru.) A powerful earthquake hits off southern Japan; tsunami advisory issued Experts: Kyushu temblor unlikely to trigger Nankai megaquake Eight injured after earthquake rocks Shikoku and Kyushu Quake damages Wakayama after tremors rattle Mt Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission TOKYO - The world's oldest man celebrated his 113th birthday Thursday in southern Japan telling reporters he wants to live another five years flowers and $1,000 cash from the mayor of his hometown of Miyakonojo Tanabe told reporters he wants to live "another five years or so," according to city spokesman Akihide Yokoyama That was a slight downgrade from last year when he said he wanted to live "for infinity." who lives with his son and daughter-in-law is in good health and sticks to the habits that have gotten him this far He rises early and reads the newspaper each day drinks milk every afternoon and eats regular meals On Tuesday he woke up early in the morning to eat breakfast before walking out to meet the mayor and members of the press at his home The cash gift he received is given annually to the city's oldest resident Japan has one of the world's longest life expectancies nearly 86 years for women and 79 years for men which is often attributed to the country's healthy diet rich in fish and rice The number of Japanese living past 100 has more than doubled in the last six years reaching a record high of 36,000 people this year The country's centenarian ranks are dominated by women Japan's centenarian population is expected to reach nearly 1 million - the world's largest - by 2050 The world's oldest person is 115-year-old Edna Parker Two dead and thousands without power as storm dumps heavy rain and authorities warn six million to evacuate Two people have died and more than 100 were injured after Typhoon Nanmadol slammed into Japan on Monday, dumping heavy rain, paralysing traffic and leaving tens of thousands of homes without power. The worst of the rainfall was seen in the southernmost island of Kyushu, where two people died, according to the fire and disaster management agency, before the typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm as it made its way to the Pacific Ocean. One of the victims was found inside his submerged car on farmland in Miyakonojo town, and another was recovered from beneath a landslide in Mimata. Read moreOne person was missing in Hiroshima prefecture, and 115 others were injured across western Japan hit by shards of broken windows or flying objects Nearly six million people were still under evacuation warnings and authorities cautioned against complacency warning that in some areas even a small amount of additional rainfall could trigger flooding and landslides were still without electricity on Tuesday morning Many convenience stores were closed at one point and there was disruption to some supply lines Typhoon Nanmadol from space Photograph: Bob Hines/NASA/AFP/Getty ImagesMost transportation had returned to normal on Tuesday for many people the first day back at work after a three-day weekend Bullet train and most ground transportation services resumed but dozens of flights were grounded in northeastern Japan The tropical storm has headed out to the Pacific Ocean off northern Japanese coast the Japan meteorological agency said Tuesday While the meteorological agency had warned of a potentially devastating typhoon which came ashore unleashing gusts of up to 234 kilometres (145 miles) an hour “The typhoon has all but disappeared today and the rain and wind are also subsiding now,” a crisis management official in the south-western town on Saito said But residents in the region said they had left their homes as the storm approached “I came to the hotel to shelter because it was windy and I thought it was dangerous,” said Yasuta Yamaguchi a resident of Izumi in Kagoshima prefecture Meteorological agency officials said the storm appeared to have lost much of its intensity “The thick cloud and eye area around the typhoon’s centre have already disappeared and it is weakening rapidly,” Ryuta Kurora Japan is struck by about 20 typhoons a year and routinely experiences heavy rainfall that causes landslides and flash floods Experts have warned that typhoons are traveling much slower and causing more damage across Japan in September, a trend that has been attributed to global heating In 2019, Typhoon Hagibis smashed into the country while it was hosting the Rugby World Cup killing more than 100 people and forcing the cancellation of several pool matches Typhoon Jebi shut down Kansai Airport in Osaka A research team reports on "point cloud data" technology for reproducing actual cityscapes and buildings in virtual spaces. Laser measurements are merely a "collection of points," the team reports. However, by using a platform that makes it possible to share 3D data the range of its application will increase A report by the team was published in English in the Journal of Digital Life Point cloud data is a huge aggregation of points with information such as XYZ (width These can be used to record detailed data of objects in actual sites.  and the structure behind the ceiling.  Point cloud data is not only used for "preservation" of buildings but is also attracting interest in the field of "i-Construction." That is a field where ICT is being applied to construction sites and civil engineering work.  The technology can also be applied to infrastructure inspections. For that reason, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism is working to utilize point cloud data to improve the efficiency of road management they and to identify roads at risk in the event of a disaster.  Although it is certainly a useful technology Dr Nakamura and his colleagues indicate that it is difficult to use point cloud data wisely in accordance with its intended purpose When a road is modeled in 3D using point cloud data it is easy for people to visually understand at a glance that the roadway extends from here to there and has a sidewalk next to it when analyzing point cloud data with existing systems the point cloud data itself is nothing more than a set of points So it is not possible to assess basic information To solve this problem, Dr Nakamura, Dr Imai, and their colleagues at Intelligent Style Co have developed 3D Point Studio This is a platform that promotes the utilization of point cloud data they have made some of the functions available to the public free of charge "area data," which holds information on the location and attributes of natural and artifacts This makes it possible to extract only "a specific set of points" from the vast amount of point cloud data that has not been organized as data.  Because of the machine-readable (readable and processable by a computer) attributes of area data it is possible to extract only the slope of a road from point cloud data of a cityscape to extract only utility poles from "pillar-like objects" lined up along a roadway.  The technology that creates a "twin" of real space in a virtual space and performs simulations is called "digital twin." Dr Nakamura and his colleagues refer to the technology that can analyze roadways and utility poles in their respective virtual spaces as "digital twin for public structures." Since point cloud data is large in size and cannot be easily viewed Dr Nakamura and his team divided the functions of 3D Point Studio into an online version for data viewing and information sharing They also made an offline version for data processing and analysis.  When a road construction worker wants to quickly view a construction site he can access the online version of the website There he can "preview" the site in 3D graphics in a few minutes The URL of the viewed data can be issued and shared with others.  For this achievement, the company received the 2019 i-Construction Grand Award (Excellence Award) The award is given by the Ministry of Land and Tourism to outstanding construction and civil engineering-related projects.  the research team hope to promote the results of its research by conducting various studies related to architecture and construction not only for the purpose of maintaining and managing buildings and infrastructure with 3D Point Studio This article was first published on Sankei Biz by the Journal of Digital Life. You can also read the article in Japanese Also available to read in English on JAPAN Forward: other articles first published on Sankei Biz by the Journal of Digital Life You must be logged in to post a comment ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Many who’ve spent time in South Korea have enjoyed soju a liquor mostly made from ethanol that’s fueled more than its share of big weekends on the peninsula is the perfect place to enjoy locally made shochu A recent press tour stopped at four distilleries to see how the beverage is made The first stop was the Yanagita Distillery in Miyakonojo City the fifth generation to run the family business The distillery has a small lounge where Yanagita poured samples of a few of his products Each has a distinctive taste with some providing a stronger alcoholic kick and others tickling the mouth like whiskey Shochu typically has between 25% and 35% alcohol content Distilleries sell 1.8-liter bottles for the equivalent of about $20 Yanagita uses spring water from the Kirishima Mountains and local rice The region’s high temperatures and high humidity are ideal for fermentation the Watanabe Distillery prides itself on growing its own potatoes according to chief executive Koichiro Watanabe The young shochu maker showed off his factory and spoke about the importance of local microbes in the process of making the alcohol Watanabe leaves the windows of his distillery open to allow local flavors to waft in on the wind and proudly shows off the sweet potatoes he grows nearby The potatoes are mashed and mixed with yeast before being left to ferment The mixture is stirred regularly and cooled to stop it overheating before it’s fed into a still where alcohol condenses to produce shochu the Furusawa distillery is operating in ancient buildings that include a bunker built to protect the shochu from Allied bombing during World War II From the street you can watch locals sort potatoes in a shed and see very old ceramic pots used for shochu fermentation A drinking area includes a view of a small garden along with the sort of local fish snacks a Japanese worker might eat with a tipple after work This large shochu factory employs uniformed staff to produce copious quantities of alcohol that’s sold all over Japan The operation includes a fish farm where sturgeon imported from Russia are raised to produce caviar If you’re willing to splash out about $80 for a small jar it goes nicely with crackers and a glass of shochu You can find plenty of shochu on Japanese supermarket shelves and a mass-produced variety is mixed with carbonated fruit juice to make Chu Hai But if you want an authentic Japanese shochu experience and Miyazaki is the perfect place to do that robson.seth@stripes.com Twitter: @SethRobson1 Miyazaki Prefecture--The humble sweet potato will play a prominent role in a leading shochu distiller’s strategy to go carbon neutral by fiscal 2030 uses 100,000 tons of sweet potatoes annually to produce 50 million 1.8-liter bottles of the liquor here 24 it plans to use more energy derived from sweet potatoes to meet electricity demand at its plants and offices “We will do everything we can to realize a sustainable society as a company that works and grows with the local community,” said Yoriyuki Enatsu the company built a recycling plant to generate biogas by fermenting shochu lees and potato scraps--byproducts of shochu production--and began using it as boiler fuel it set up a facility to generate power using biogas and started selling electricity The use of biogas enabled the company to slash carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 33 percent in fiscal 2020 from fiscal 2013 The new goal is to reduce emissions by 50 percent by fiscal 2030 from the 2013 level Kirishima Shuzo plans to raise the supply of biogas and use biogas-generated electricity to cover its own power consumption It will also consider procuring other types of renewable energy to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by fiscal 2030 the company has introduced four electric cars It plans to replace 130 or so company vehicles with electric models by fiscal 2030 Greenhouse gas emissions fall in Japan for 7th year in a row Japan eyes 10% power output cut by FY 2030 with more renewables Researchers aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cow belches Cow excrement tapped by town in Hokkaido for CO2-free power Coal plant to test ammonia fuel mix in bid to drop CO2 emissions Japan embracing ammonia power to achieve 2050 zero CO2 target Devices connected to the internet and artificial intelligence are being introduced to nursing care in Japan where there is a chronic shortage of caregivers as society ages and the novel coronavirus pandemic is restricting face-to-face contact Sensors monitor the lifestyle habits of the elderly while AI-initiated phone calls check on seniors daily allowing caregivers to look after them remotely "You went to the bathroom many times yesterday," a care manager says over the phone to a man as he checks data on his recent routine The man's home is equipped with sensors installed in the bathroom providing the care manager with data via the internet on how frequently he uses the bathroom how long he sleeps and whether he has eaten How the coronavirus is changing working styles in Japan The sensors do not emit light or sound so as not to bother the householder The city of Miyakonojo in Miyazaki Prefecture has tried using data collected by the devices to create care plans for people in its "digital care management" project and assessed its effectiveness last year Joining hands with major electronics maker Panasonic Corp the city analyzed the project results for three months from October and found that the lifestyle habits of all four people who took part in the trial improved said he felt "data can turn users' worries into a sense of security." A wearable device that indicates when it's time to urinate is helping caregivers and care recipients alike developed the device "DFree" featuring a sensor that can measure bladder size using ultrasound and notify caregivers through the internet when it reaches a certain size and it's time for their client to go to the bathroom "Cleaning up after a toilet mishap is a heavy burden on care workers both in terms of time and physical effort," said Masaya Matsumura of Social Welfare Corporation Zenkoukai in Tokyo which runs a number of nursing homes in Japan He added the device "helps maintain the dignity of the elderly" by preventing them from wetting themselves Nara Prefecture in western Japan is starting a trial of an AI phone call service to check the health of senior citizens daily In the trial also involving NTT Docomo Inc. the AI asks people whether they are in pain the AI will ask how long they have had the symptoms and whether they have gone to see a doctor If the people say they are not feeling well or if they do not respond to calls we will be able to quickly spot a sudden change in someone's health condition or the development of dementia," said a Nara prefectural government official in charge of the project The number of care workers in Japan stood at about 1.95 million in fiscal 2017 and the industry's jobs-to-applicants ratio remains more than twice as much as the average for all industries reflecting a chronic labor shortage in the sector Ace Orix Buffaloes pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the team's cleanup hitter Yuma Tongu grew up as neighbors The so-called "miracle childhood friends" led the Buffaloes to the brink of their second consecutive Japan Series championship although they lost in seven games to the Hanshin Tigers The two friends met for the first time more than 20 years ago when Tongu’s family moved to next to Yamamoto’s in a neighborhood in Bizen and the two boys attended the same elementary school and played together on the same baseball team later relocated to Miyazaki Prefecture to enroll in Miyakonojo High School He started his professional career in 2016 when the Buffaloes selected him in the fourth round of the draft a fresh graduate of Tokyo’s Asia University Tongu’s first years with the Buffaloes proved challenging he hit fifth in the lineup in the opening game he went back and forth between the first team and the second team “I was shocked to see Tongu struggle so much in the professional ranks,” Yamamoto recalled Their initial relationship on the team was awkward as well they called each other by their first name when other teammates and team staff were around Yamamoto used formal language toward his childhood friend and politely addressed him as “Tongu-san.”  Within Japanese society in general and the athletic world in particular people are expected to show respect to their seniors Even though Yamamoto was just a year younger than Tongu Yamamoto was concerned that people might find it disrespectful if he behaved too friendly and intimately toward his longtime friend “I was a bit worried because not everyone knew that we had grown up together,” said Yamamoto Tongu had a major breakthrough this season hitting .307 to lead the Pacific League in batting average who had long been established as the ace pitcher of the league "This is what happens to someone who has been that great since the beginning," he said Now that everyone knows about their long-term friendship Yamamoto feels comfortable addressing Tongu by his first name Yamamoto was granted permission from the Buffaloes to use the posting system to seek signing with a team in the major leagues in the United States next season in the sixth game of the Japan Series against the Tigers Yamamoto pitched a complete game with one run allowed and set a series record with 14 strikeouts In what is expected to be his last appearance in Japan Tongu hit a solo home run in the eighth inning of that game to support his friend He knew that this would probably be their last time playing together Tongu also hit a farewell home run with two outs in the ninth inning as the Buffaloes lost 7-1 Tongu's three home runs in the series were the most by any player I’m sure he will be successful (in the major leagues)." MLB/ Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto headed to MLB after his Orix club agrees to transfer BASEBALL/ Buffaloes clinch 3rd straight PL title despite loss of Yoshida OLYMPICS/ Late rally lifts Japan over Dominican team to open baseball play Buffaloes win four straight for 1st championship in 26 years Iwakuma to retire after 170 career victories BASEBALL/ Murakami makes NPB history by slamming 5 home runs in a row Local governments are turning more and more to public libraries as they try to revive the hollowed-out downtowns of regional cities By Yusuke Omori and Noriko Ueda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers while also offering conversation spaces and cafes these libraries are now evolving into places of social exchange towns and villages across the country do not have libraries At the Miyakonojo City Library in Miyazaki Prefecture students chat and read magazines with drinks in hand as bright bouncy piano music plays in the background and natural light streams into the atrium This library prioritizes comfort and does not ask visitors to stay quiet The three-story library is housed in a building once occupied by Miyakonojo Daimaru a department store that went bankrupt in 2011 When the city and the local business community were discussing how to use the site there was a proposal to turn it into another department store but the city decided its aging library could use the building “I thought that even if we established a commercial facility there it would have been difficult to keep it going in Miyakonojo which has a population of around 160,000,” Mayor Takahisa Ikeda said The library has kept the atrium as it was in the department store and the bookshelves are spaciously arranged Visitors can choose from a collection of about 530,000 books a space for teenagers and a children’s playground There’s even a supermarket in the next building the six years through February of this year brought more than triple that number for a total of about 5.55 million visits The library has become a wellspring of vitality for the district and about 40 new restaurants and other stores have opened in the surrounding area to cater to the library’s visitors “I hope the library will become the nucleus of an even more vibrant town,” said a 44-year-old owner of a clothing boutique A number of public libraries were built in the 1970s When their rebuilding came due in the 2010s many were relocated to city centers as municipalities sought to use libraries as a cure-all for hollowed-out downtowns moved to a new location in front of Sakata Station The city positioned the new library as the core of a redevelopment project that had stagnated for more than 20 years It also developed a tourist information center a hotel and an apartment block as part of the redevelopment project The library has now increased the number of books on shelves by 60% and its number of seats by more than 200% making it a place where people can come and interact There were more than 480,000 visits to the library in fiscal 2022 also moved its municipal library in summer last year to the site of a former department store The library is now housed in a 10-story building as the centerpiece of a redevelopment project which tended to stay in front of the station has spread to the surrounding area,” said a city government official Municipalities are not required to have libraries The education ministry has issued a notice that simply says “municipalities shall make efforts to establish libraries.” According to the Japan Library Association there were 3,287 public libraries in the country as of April 2022 only 78% of municipalities had libraries this fiscal year with 71 municipalities in Hokkaido and 13 in Chiba Prefecture having no libraries but budgets are limited and priority has been given to things like the earthquake resistance of schools,” said an official of a local government in the Kanto region that has no library There is other worrisome data for public libraries newspapers and other materials are on the decline average spending on materials per library in fiscal 2020 came to ¥8.61 million “Sufficient funds must be secured to purchase materials so that reading can be promoted among residents so libraries professor emeritus at Tsukuba University and chairman of the board of directors for the association “Libraries are being asked to take on more diverse roles I hope local governments will grasp the needs of residents and consider measures to use libraries as facilities that also serve to promote the community and culture.” Vox Populi Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun what color would it be?” Aika Anami asked in a calm manner as she began her speech in sign language is a student at Miyakonojo Sakura Chokaku Shien Gakko a school for students with hearing impairment She participated in an annual high school sign language speech contest held on Aug all her friends were fellow students at a school for the hearing impaired She felt “embarrassed” when she was seen by outsiders to be communicating in sign language she said it was a “pitch-black era” in her life her hands moved in a way that reflected her sad expression But she had an eye-opening experience when she was a junior high school student She saw deaf students from other prefectures use sign language in front of people without hesitation “They were so cool I got goosebumps,” Anami said The young girl’s world started expanding rapidly to communicate with people without hearing impairment by using a smartphone tool to convert audio to text “My color now is gray.” It is a gray created by mixing many different colors I want to become like a rainbow in the future by accentuating each of my colors It was a beautiful speech full of fresh sensibilities I sent an email to a teacher at her school She enjoyed delivering the speech and exchanging ideas with other participants The experience is “a treasure that I will remember for the rest of my life,” Anami said about the contest in the reply email One of her paintings was attached to the email The painting had a variety of exquisitely delicate and gentle colors including a deep blue like the sea and a pale red like a Japanese morning glory Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture Princess Kako attends national sign-language contest in person Lawson starts test on using sign-language avatars at stores VOX POPULI: Reduced pay in girl’s death over disability shows societal problem Deaf master uses sign language to care for dying hearing dog By Ayumi Kimura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Miyazaki — A group preserving local ningyo joruri puppet shows in Miyakonojo has received the Pola Award for Traditional Japanese Culture in the regional culture category The group is working to pass down the Yamanokuchi Fumoto Bunyabushi puppet show to posterity “We’d like to grant the wishes of our predecessors and bring [the puppet show] to future generations,” said Kimitomo Maeda According to the group and the city of Miyakonojo the Yamanokuchi Fumoto Bunyabushi puppet show spread during the Edo period (1603-1867) It has been passed down through generations and appreciated by local people on festive occasions The puppet shows discontinued for a while after World War II but gained a new life in 1951 when local people formed the preservation group It was designated as an important intangible folk cultural property by the central government in 1995 the puppet show is performed four times a year in March The Pola Award for Traditional Japanese Culture is presented annually by the Tokyo-based Pola Foundation for the Promotion of Traditional Japanese Culture to those succeeding precious traditional craftsmanship The foundation praised the Yamanokuchi Fumoto Bunyabushi puppet show as “a nationally valuable traditional performing art that has been handed down to the present day with puppets each manipulated by a single puppeteer and the Bunyabushi music that used to be very popular in the early Edo period.” Since the preservation group has been teaching local elementary school students how to use the puppets for about 30 years the foundation commended the group for “giving about 580 children an opportunity to experience the tradition.” Maeda and some of other group members visited the Miyakonojo municipal government to report on receiving the award to the mayor but I have hope that some of the children we’ve taught may come back one day,” Maeda said “I’m grateful to the award for taking notice of culture in a rural area in the Kyushu region.” Miyazaki Prefecture--A barley-based shochu called Aokage from a local distiller won the top President’s prize in the quality shochu and “awamori” Okinawan-style liquor category of the 2023 Kura Master competition in France the first maker in Miyazaki Prefecture to scoop top honors in the annual competition “It is an honor and an encouragement for us to be picked out by French judges,” said Tadashi Yanagita which began selling its products overseas in 2015 Kura Master took off in 2017 as a Japanese rice wine competition for French fans The shochu and awamori category was added in 2021 Aokage was selected for the Judge’s award last year It has the distinction of winning awards for two years straight Aokage was described in the review by the chief judge as “a particularly aromatic shochu boasting a fascinating complexity.” the shochu has a distinctive bread-like flavor and a lingering aftertaste In the hope of “competing on the same stage as other spirits,” Yanagita Distillery said it developed an overseas version with a proof content of 41 percent alcohol by volume to achieve an “aftertaste that lasts much longer and is more powerful.” When the chief judge visited Miyazaki Prefecture following Aokage’s first entry last year Yanagita Distillery sought the connoisseur’s views on the appeal of the bottle the distiller made the product’s bitter taste stronger Yanagita Distillery exports to 13 countries and regions “Our ultimate goal is to get consumers to view it as cool to sip 25-percent shochu in ‘kurojoka’” traditional local ceramic cups “We have high hopes that Aokage will play a part for shochu to be recognized as a world-class distilled beverage at some point.” Sales of the award-winning 41-percent Aokage in 750-milliliter bottles started in September on a limited scale Only 900 bottles are available for 2,500 yen ($16.80) each Famed shochu maker hopes to wow market with barley Shochu made from lotus root tastes like .. Stay-at-home drinkers come to rescue of shochu industry Sweet potato the power behind shochu distiller’s goal to cut CO2 Niigata sake brewers turn to whisky to help bolster business Antwerp welcomes a Belgian Beachvolley Championship tour stop Greece’s Hellenic Beach Volleyball National Tour event held in Chania Miyakonojo hosts a stop on the Japan Beach Volleyball Tour Antwerp welcomed last week’s stop on the Belgian Beachvolley Championship tour The women’s gold went to third-seeded Jade Van Deun & Youna Coens after a 2-1 (15-21 15-13) comeback against fourth-seeded Els Vandesteene & Maud Catry in the final Three sets were needed in the third-place match as well Third-seeded Britt Ruysschaert & Isabel Van den Broeck celebrated the bronze after a hard-fought 2-1 (25-23 15-8) victory over Ilya van Doren & Emma van Doren Women’s results and standings Top-seeded Martijn Colson & Dennis Deroey lived up to their status and won the men’s tournament 21-17) sweep of the final against Gorik Lantsoght & Tom van Walle Second-seeded Alexy Humblet & Kyan Vercauteren completed the podium after a hard-fought 2-1 (21-18 15-11) win over Berre Peters & Wout Nuyttens in the bronze medal game Men’s results and standings A post shared by Belgian Beachvolley Championship (@belgianbeachvolley) Third-seeded Liam Patte & Julien Legrand mastered a 2-0 (21-12 21-18) upset of top-seeded Simon Lebecq & Mathys Merle in the men’s final of last week’s 2024 France Beach Volley Series national tour stop in Orleans The bronze went to second-seeded Jules Bihouee & Niels Philippe-Daniel 21-19) win over Benjamin Cohen & Aziz Briki in the third-place match Men’s results and standings Women’s main draw bracket leaders Anouk Dupin & Ophelie Lusson snatched their second consecutive gold on the 2024 tour after a 2-1 (19-21 15-6) comeback in the final against Romane Sobezalz & Mia Guyot Polverini Naty Molinos & Lucile Colin also resorted to a tie-breaker resolution before celebrating a 2-1 (21-16 15-11) victory over Maeva Guignan & Emere Maau-Boutry Women’s results and standings The first homologated stop on Greece’s Hellenic Beach Volleyball National Tour 2024 was held in Chania (pictured in the main photo; credits: volleyball.gr) last week third-seeded Sabati Ifigeneia & Anastasia Shirinina defeated Elisavet Triantafillidi & Dimitra Manavi in straight sets qualifiers Dionysia Matiou & Ioanna Parisaki and top-seeded Ioanna Perdikaki & Georgia Maria Antonakaki shared the third place in the final standings Women’s results and standings Stylianos Tzioumakas & Thodoris Papadimitriou 21-17) sweep of the final against third-seeded Antiol Kola & Vangelis Sideris Georgios Terzoglou & Spyros Terzoglou and qualifiers Dimitrios Niopas & Panagiotis Semitekolos shared the bronze Men’s results and standings A post shared by Hellenic Volleyball Federation (@volleyball.gr) Miyakonojo hosted a stop on the Japan Beach Volleyball Tour 2024 last week The men’s gold went to Yuya Ageba & Yoshiumi Hasegawa 15-9) comeback in the final to upset top-seeded Yusuke Ishijima (Gottsu) & Kensuke Shoji The third place was shared between semifinalists Hiroki Dylan Kurokawa & Kosuke Fukushima Men’s results and standings A post shared by JVA Beach Volleyball Official (@jva_beachvolley) 15-10) comeback against Australia’s Phoebe Bell & Caitlin Bettenay in the final The bronze was shared by third-seeded Miyu Sakamoto & Mayu Sawame and second-seeded Ren Matsumoto & Non Matsumoto Women’s results and standings A post shared by JVA Beach Volleyball Official (@jva_beachvolley) The FIVB is the governing body responsible for all forms of Volleyball on a global level Working closely with national federations and private enterprises to develop Volleyball as a popular media and entertainment sport FIVB Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Château Les Tourelles Edouard-Sandoz 2-4 1006 Lausanne Switzerland Phone: +41 213 453 535 Fax: +41 213 453 545 Learn how to describe the purpose of the image (opens in a new tab) Leave empty if the image is purely decorative Takeo Saito has been creating a map of the Shiroyamamachi 1-chome area here The district was home to his elementary school and many of his friends back then were killed when the atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki on Aug has been adding newly discovered information to the map such as the homes of his former schoolmates how they and their family members died and wartime events in the neighborhood More than 1,400 children died around the school Saito was a student at the elementary school but his family had evacuated to Miyakonojo in Miyazaki Prefecture a month before the nuclear attack Among all those killed in the atomic bombing She was raised at Saito’s home after her mother died during childbirth She left his home when her father remarried But her family moved to Shiroyamamachi in spring 1945 and Miyo-chan also attended Shiroyama Kokumin Gakko She and her family members were all killed at their home in the atomic bombing Saito’s nagging regret is that he cannot even recall the last time he met his cousin He said he does not know if Miyo-chan came to see him off when his family moved to Miyakonojo or if he visited her home to say good-bye Saito read a note written by a former junior high school classmate Her mother and two sisters died in Shiroyamamachi in the atomic bombing and she suffered an injury in her left leg and had difficulty walking The woman wrote about her sorrows as well as her strong hope for peace Saito said he did not realize that she had been suffering until he read her note and he regretted his “irresponsible” way of life “I have lived all these years without knowing everyone’s life even though they were close by,” he said Saito returned to Nagasaki in 1947 and attended Shiroyama Elementary School which was reorganized from Shiroyama Kokumin Gakko He went on to become a social studies teacher at a junior high school began collecting books and documents about the area when he was in his 40s He searched for the locations of homes of his former schoolmates and plotted about 30 of them on the map The map also includes information about the horrors of the atomic bombing such as “about 50 bodies” in a river near the school and “more than 2,000 bodies” gathered at a shrine near a kindergarten Saito has continued to gather information about his former schoolmates to add to the map When he learns something about his friends he often sends a letter and goes to meet people who know about them Saito has been unable to find any clues about some of the friends He said his sense of guilt never disappears no matter how detailed his map becomes and he continues to search for any traces of her short life He said he was probably her only friend in Shiroyamamachi after her family relocated to the neighborhood just a few months before the bombing Saito carries Miyo-chan’s photograph with his driver’s license to keep his memories of her alive Leukemia would later kill children who survived atomic bombings ‘BAREFOOT GEN’ TURNS 50: Gen’s life mirrors miseries of war for young atomic bomb survivors VOX POPULI: Remembering a Dutch POW on 78th A-bomb anniversary Kishida to miss A-bomb event in Nagasaki due to Typhoon No ‘BAREFOOT GEN’ TURNS 50: Chief editor ran horrific A-bomb tale in children’s manga magazine ‘BAREFOOT GEN’ TURNS 50: A-bomb manga masterpiece born out of anger at mother’s death Miyazaki Prefecture--A leading distiller that became the toast of the shochu world with its Kuro Kirishima brand is hoping to repeat the feat with new products using barley and rice for the first time in more than two decades Potato-based shochu products like Kuro Kirishima currently account for the lion’s share of Kirishima Shuzo Co.’s output said barley-distilled Kirishima Hororu and rice-derived Kirishima Sururu will hit store shelves on Sept “My hope is that new brand values will be created,” said Yoriyuki Enatsu referring to his plans to make the new lineup a core part of the company’s business along with their potato-based counterparts The Kirishima Hororu and Kirishima Sururu will be the company’s first bottles fashioned from barley and rice in 22 years and 23 years Both of them utilize “koji” seasoning made from slightly polished rice marked by the bran and germ left behind This leaves a profound taste and a deep aroma depending on how the rice grains are refined Two kinds of exclusively developed yeast are used in the fermentation process The barley shochu is characterized by a sweet banana-like flavor while the rice-based one boasts a clear mouthfeel as well as an elegant fragrance resembling that of sake Kirishima Shuzo spent more than five years developing the two products drawing on expertise accumulated through the production of potato-based shochu It is now struggling to secure a steady supply of sweet potatoes for shochu production due to the recent spread of a pathogen called Diaporthe destruens Kirishima Shuzo decided to cultivate its own sweet potatoes from seeds and seedlings But procurement is still “unstable,” officials said the company holds high expectations for its new product lines “We can assert with confidence that their quality is exceptional,” said Takuzo Enatsu a senior managing director of Kirishima Shuzo “They may mark a turning point for barley and rice shochu The 1,800-milliliter and 900-ml bottles of Kirishima Hororu will carry price tags of 2,028 yen ($13.80) and 1,077 yen bottle of Kirishima Sururu will sell for 1,067 yen Kirishima Hororu and Kirishima Sururu have a proof content of 25 percent alcohol by volume Global warming pushes Gifu sake brewer north to Hokkaido town please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot Get the most important global markets news at your fingertips with a Bloomberg.com subscription Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version the City of the Future” is a rare opportunity to delve into a wealth of archive on an architectural movement continues to influence architecture and design all over the world An eclectic group of visionary architects and designers the Metabolists emerged out of the post-war period of reconstruction and economic growth of Sixties Japan 'Shinjuku Project: City in the Air' (1961/2011) CG VideoProduction: A Voluntary Lab Shibaura Institute of Technology; Ogura Lab With over five hundred exhibits from around eighty projects Mori Art Museum really is filled to the brim with a vast collection of models much of which has never been seen in public before On top of this are recently recorded interviews with some of the Metabolists still living as well as newly commissioned state of the art 3D computer graphics which breath new life into their ambitious architectural dreams To wander through this treasure trove is to be inspired by visions of fantastical future cities and superstructures of mythical proportions It is also a journey of discovery as the exhibit traces the journey of Metabolism from its inception at the World Design Conference in 1960 through to present day worldwide projects JapanPhoto: Takashi OyamaThe quirky tower of life-sized Lego blocks (a.k.a the Nakagin Capsule Tower) of which I am rather fond was the brainchild of one of the most influential members of the movement Each Lego block is a self-contained residential unit which can be added or subtracted when required allowing the tower to grown organically and adjust to the residents’ needs Be sure to go and see one of the original capsules on display on Roppongi-dori In a room dedicated to architecture of a different nature under the title of “Symbolic Spaces” photographs and models of a handful of fiercely modern and imposing concrete structures invoke a fearful kind of delight These are buildings rooted in traditional Japanese forms generally reserved for wood and kept to a smaller Refashioned in concrete to giant proportions On the one hand it can bring delights such as the National Stadium in Yoyogi Kiyonori Kikutake’s Hotel Tokoen for example — a cross between a temple and a concrete office block — or the imposing Civic Center he designed in Miyakonojo with its giant bellows-like roof Besides living spaces and public buildings the Metabolists also created numerous proposals for cities and agricultural communities though many of these plans were to remain on paper or in model form only with the help of newly commissioned 3D computer graphics created by Digital Hollywood University especially for the exhibition these spellbinding visions are quite literally taken to a new dimension The 1970 Expo in Osaka provided the Metabolists with a unique opportunity to showcase their ideas and designs in one area Expanding now into interior design and art also and the exhibition once more excels in bringing together a delightful selection of memorabilia The exhibition comes to an end with a look at more recent and ongoing larger scale city projects around the world Kisho Kurokawa and Arata Isozaki seem to have finally found a place for their grander visions to become real It also goes without saying that in light of the destruction caused by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami the City of the Future” is a timely reappraisal of a fascinating collaboration of visionary architects and designers whose past dreams and visions continue to inspire and command our attention the world's oldest man keeps a daily diary drinks milk and stays away from alcohol and smoking the world’s oldest man keeps a daily diary “I don’t want to die,” Tomoji Tanabe told reporters Monday while receiving a certificate from the Guinness World Records at a ceremony in southern Japan verifying him as the world’s oldest male who lives in the southern city of Miyakonojo took the title in January after the death of Puerto Rico’s Emiliano Mercado Del Toro was certified by Guinness only earlier this month thanked his children and grandchildren for caring for him over the years and described Monday’s event as “nothing special.” The number of Japanese living beyond 100 has almost quadrupled in the past 10 years with the once-exclusive centenarian club expected to exceed 28,000 this year Experts often attribute the longevity to a Japanese diet rich in vegetables and fish Stay secure and make sure you have the best reading experience possible by upgrading your browser Japanese version Japanese version Copyright THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. All rights reserved. BACOLOD City – Ten incoming senior high school students pursued their studies in Japan under a three-year scholarship in Negros Occidental. The scholars were the second batch of Negrense students from various public schools in the province given the opportunity to study General Health and Automotive in Miyakonojo Higashi High School in Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. “Don’t forget to pray and ask God for guidance and strength. He has chosen you to be ambassadors of goodwill in Japan,” said Vice Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson. Lacson reminded the students to value the opportunity given to them and to be in their best behavior. The scholarship grant is being implemented through the provincial government’s Negros Occidental Scholarship Program. The Province of Negros Occidental entered into a memorandum of understanding with Miyakonojo Higashi High School in June 2017 to provide educational opportunities to motivated and deserving Negrense high school students who aspire to study in Japan. (With a report from PNA/PN) Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. fun and practical.Get the latest with our exclusive in-language podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.SBSSBS Japanese News document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute("id","af3d0fdaa670ba6c4e869c7cad1888d2");document.getElementById("a31dd1c797").setAttribute("id","comment"); If you send 30,000 yen (USD260) or more of your taxes to the town of Yamanouchi in Nagano prefecture they’ll send you 24 bottles of a locally brewed beer to say thanks Redirect 50,000 yen of your local area taxes to Miyakonojo in Miyazaki and you’ll get 3 kilograms of high-grade beef in return This Furusato Nozei (Hometown Tax) system began in 2008 as a way for people to channel part of their taxes to help rural areas struggling with falling populations and shrinking revenues But its popularity isn’t driven by altruism or nostalgia for the countryside and much of it is going to places that offer local produce as gifts in return and many other foodstuffs – is one of the prefectures that gains the most Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward estimates the system will cost it 1.6 billion yen in tax revenue ($14 million) in the fiscal year through March – enough to build five nursery schools which has almost 900,000 residents and the worst child-care crisis in the nation – with more than 1,000 children on waiting lists – is expected to lose more revenue to Furusato Nozei than any other municipality in Tokyo in this fiscal year About all it can offer to attract tax revenue itself are frugal gifts such as museum tickets which helped it bring in 15.8 million yen last fiscal year Miyakonojo has almost 164,000 people and attracted 4.2 billion yen through the system during the same period That’s the most among the 1,700 or so municipalities in Japan and shochu liquor that you can receive in return for directing tax to the area “The main focus is to promote our city,” said Shuichi Nomiyama an official who runs the city’s tax program Nomiyama estimates that more than 90 percent of the people taking part have no connection to Miyakonojo The equivalent of about 70 percent of the revenue from Furusato Nozei is spent promoting the program and buying gifts from local producers “We are well aware that part of the tax revenue in urban areas is donated to us,” Nomiyama said but it has created local jobs and allowed the city to fund dental checkups “We can only return the favor by doing what we can do locally.” The rising competition among municipalities has drawn warnings from Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi She said in 2015 and again in 2016 that towns shouldn’t solicit tax revenue with gifts offer cash-like gifts such as shopping vouchers the system more than quadrupled to a record 165 billion yen last fiscal year after the government doubled the amount of local taxes that residents can channel into Furusato Nozei And there are now commercial websites that show taxpayers how to shop around “hometowns” all around Japan and maximize the value of “gifts” they get in return You must be logged in to post a comment