Volume 17 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2023.1274459 The rapid relief of depressive symptoms is a major medical requirement for effective treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) A decrease in neuroactive steroids contributes to the pathophysiological mechanisms associated with the neurological symptoms of MDD a neuroactive steroid that acts as a positive allosteric modulator of synaptic and extrasynaptic δ-subunit-containing GABAA receptors clinically effective antidepressant action in patients with MDD or postpartum depression (PPD) act as positive allosteric modulators of synaptic GABAA receptors but are not approved for the treatment of patients with MDD It remains unclear how differences in molecular mechanisms contribute to the alleviation of depressive symptoms and the regulation of associated neuronal activity Focusing on the antidepressant-like effects and neuronal activity of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) we conducted a head-to-head comparison study of the neuroactive steroid allopregnanolone and the benzodiazepine diazepam using a mouse social defeat stress (SDS) model Allopregnanolone but not diazepam exhibited antidepressant-like effects in a social interaction test in SDS mice This antidepressant-like effect of allopregnanolone was abolished in extrasynaptic GABAA receptor δ-subunit knockout mice (δko mice) subjected to the same SDS protocol Regarding the neurophysiological mechanism associated with these antidepressant-like effects allopregnanolone but not diazepam increased theta oscillation in the BLA of SDS mice This increase did not occur in δko mice allopregnanolone potentiated tonic inhibition in BLA interneurons via δ-subunit-containing extrasynaptic GABAA receptors Theta oscillation in the mPFC of SDS mice was also increased by allopregnanolone but not by diazepam allopregnanolone but not diazepam increased frontal theta activity in electroencephalography recordings in naïve and SDS mice Neuronal network alterations associated with MDD showed decreased frontal theta and beta activity in depressed SDS mice neuroactive steroids increased theta oscillation in the BLA and mPFC through the activation of δ-subunit-containing GABAA receptors and this change was associated with antidepressant-like effects in the SDS model Our findings support the notion that the distinctive mechanism of neuroactive steroids may contribute to the rapid antidepressant effects in MDD Rapid relief of depressive symptoms through effective treatment is therefore an important medical requirement for improving the quality of life of patients with MDD based on differences in the binding and activation mode δ-subunit-containing GABAA receptors could largely contribute to differences in efficacies in patients with MDD it remains unclear how differences in molecular mechanisms contribute to alleviating depressive symptoms and modulating neuronal network activity BLA theta activity is therefore thought to be related to differential antidepressant effects between neuroactive steroids and benzodiazepines there have been no reports of direct comparisons between neuroactive steroids and benzodiazepines under identical conditions using a preclinical model of depression we used the social interaction test (SIT) in a mouse social defeat stress (SDS) model and collected in vivo recordings of oscillation in the BLA and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to assess differences in the effect of allopregnanolone potentiates δ-subunit-containing GABAA receptors in BLA interneurons and increases theta oscillation in the BLA and mPFC This mechanism may contribute to the development of antidepressant-like effects in depressed SDS mice Experiments were performed using C57BL/6 J Jcl mice, GABAA receptor δ-subunit knockout mice (δΚΟ mice, Gabrd−/− mice), and Crl:CD1 (ICR) retired mice. ICR mice (male) and Gabrd−/− mice (male) were purchased from Jackson Laboratory. Gabrd−/− mice are homozygous null for Gabrd (Mihalek et al., 1999) The breeding of Gabrd−/− mice was approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of Shionogi Research Laboratories and was in accordance with the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International guidelines C57BL/6 J Jcl mice (male) were purchased from CLEA Japan Inc The body weights of C57BL/6 J Jcl mice were 20–30 g Mice aged 2–4 months were used The mice were housed under controlled temperature and humidity with a 12/12-h light/dark cycle (light from 8:00 to 20:00) Less than three mice were housed in a cage (W 235 mm H 160 mm) with a paper-chip bedding (SLC Japan Inc.) and Nesting Sheets™ (Bio-Serv United States) as environmental enrichment Mice were allowed ad libitum access to food (CE-2 Inc.) and clean water (filtered at 5 mm from Toyonaka City All procedures were approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of Shionogi Research Laboratories Electrophysiological assessments were performed according to the AAALAC International guidelines Allopregnanolone was purchased from Toronto Research Chemicals (Canada) Diazepam and methyl cellulose were purchased from Fujifilm (Japan) Escitalopram was purchased from MedChemExpress (United States) Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin was purchased from Tokyo Chemical Industry (Japan) Allopregnanolone and diazepam were dissolved in 15% hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin in distilled water Escitalopram was dissolved in methyl cellulose Allopregnanolone and diazepam were administered intraperitoneally Escitalopram was administered by oral gavage A C57BL/6 J Jcl mouse was defeated by a larger stranger ICR mouse. Each individual defeat lasted 10 min. If the mice developed severe injuries or extreme weakness during the 10-day defeat procedure, they were euthanized at the veterinarian’s discretion (Figure 1A) SIT was conducted to select the mice with depression-like behavior with a series of 3 sequential tests: (1) Each C57BL/6 J Jcl mouse was placed in an open-field chamber (40 × 30 × 20 cm) with an empty wire mesh box at one end and the mouse was allowed to freely explore the chamber for 150 s while being recorded on video the C57BL/6 J Jcl mouse was placed in an open-field chamber where a novel male ICR mouse was enclosed in a wire mesh box at one end the time that each mouse spent in the interaction zone (around the wire mesh box with or without the ICR mouse) was calculated by tracking the mass of the mouse with the EthoVision XT video-tracking system (Noldus Information Technology and 3 were defined as direct SIT time 1 (dSIT1) A mouse whose dSIT2 and dSIT3 were both lower than dSIT1 was regarded as a depression-like mouse Depression-like mice were used for further studies and in vivo electrophysiological studies with local field potential (LFP) and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings Antidepressant-like effects of allopregnanolone (A) Behavioral paradigm of antidepressant assessment in the social interaction test (SIT) of the social defeat stress (SDS) model A C57BL/6 J Jcl mouse was defeated by a larger ICR mouse for 10 days SIT was conducted for the purpose of identifying depression-like mice and assessing antidepressant effects following drug administration Data are expressed as the interaction time that each mouse spent in the direct interaction zone (close to the box with the ICR mouse (B) Time course of the interaction time before and after the administration of vehicle (Veh white column) and a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor escitalopram (Escita green column) in wild-type mice with the SDS model Data are represented as the mean ± SEM (C) Time course of the interaction time before and after administration of the vehicle (Veh and the neuroactive steroid allopregnanolone (Allo red column) in wild-type mice with the SDS model ***p = 0.0003 at day 7 (D) Time course of the interaction time before and after the administration of Veh (white column) and Allo (dark blue column) in GABAA receptor δ-subunit knockout mice (δko mice) with the SDS model A different ICR mouse was used for each trial to reduce the influence of habituation on social behavior or vehicle was intraperitoneally administered once daily for 7 days The day when dSIT3 was measured was defined as “pre.” The day of the initial injection was defined as Day 1 In the direct comparison study between allopregnanolone and diazepam and 7 was conducted approximately 30 min after the injection of the drug The data represent the time that each mouse spent in the direct interaction zone Analysis was conducted using Tukey’s test for multiple groups and using Sidak’s test for two groups A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant the TST was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the test substance Each depression-like C57BL/6 J Jcl mouse was suspended in a chamber for 10 min The time that each mouse spent immobile was calculated by tracking the center of mass of the mouse with an EthoVision XT video-tracking system In the depression-like mice after SIT for 7 days and the following washout periods for 5–10 days or vehicle was intraperitoneally administered approximately 30 min prior to the test The data represent the immobility time for each mouse over 8 min Analysis was conducted using Dunnett’s test To identify non-sedative doses of allopregnanolone and diazepam locomotor activity was assessed in naïve mice Immediately after the injection of allopregnanolone or diazepam the C57BL/6 J Jcl mouse was placed in an open-field chamber (40 × 30 × 20 cm) and the mouse was allowed to freely explore the chamber for 40 min while being recorded on video The distance that each mouse traveled in the chamber was calculated by tracking the mass of the mouse with an EthoVision XT video-tracking system The data represent the distance that each mouse moved in the chamber for 40 min A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant To evaluate the anxiolytic effects of diazepam Each mouse was placed in the device 30 min after the injection of diazepam The time that each mouse stayed in a 30 cm square area in the center area of the device (45× 45 × 12 cm) and the movement in the chamber were measured by the number of squares crossed with the four paws for 10 min The data represent the total time that each mouse stayed in the center area of the chamber for 10 min The mice were euthanized by cervical dislocation The brains were then quickly removed and placed in ice-cold low-sodium artificial CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) containing 100 mM choline-Cl and 5 mM MgCl2 (pH 7.4 after bubbling with 95% O2 and 5% CO2) Coronal slices (300 μm thick) were prepared using a vibratome (VT1200S Germany) and then maintained for at least 60 min in standard artificial CSF containing 113 mM NaCl after bubbling with 95% O2 and 5% CO2 at 30–32°C) Slices were transferred to a recording chamber mounted on the stage of a microscope (BX51WI Japan) and superfused with standard artificial CSF (flow rate of 2.5 mL min−1 at 30–32°C) Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were made from visually identified interneurons in the BLA area using an upright microscope with infrared differential interference contrast optics. The recorded neurons exhibited sustained fast spiking activity following the current injection (Figure 2A), consistent with a previous study (Park et al., 2007; Perumal and Sah, 2022) Patch electrodes (2.5–3.0 μm tip diameter) were pulled from borosilicate glass capillaries and had a resistance of 3–5 MΩ when filled with an internal solution consisting of 135 mM KCl Membrane voltage was recorded with a patch clamp system (EPC-10 and digitized at 40 kHz for computer analysis using Pulse software (HEKA) and LabChart software (ADInstruments) All experiments were performed at 30–32°C 10 μM CNQX and 50 μM D-AP5 were added to standard artificial CSF To unmask the contribution of tonic current 10 μM bicuculline was perfused at the end of each recording Distinct potentiation of tonic currents by allopregnanolone in basolateral amygdala (BLA) interneurons A representative image illustrating the mouse BLA slice and the recording interneuron with fast-spiking activity Representative traces indicated that allopregnanolone (Allo 100 nM) had no effect on the BLA interneuron in wild-type mice with the SDS model (middle trace) In the GABAA receptor δ-subunit knockout mouse (δko mouse) with the SDS model 100 nM) did not potentiate tonic currents in the BLA interneuron (bottom trace) Application of bicuculine (10 μM) abolished inhibitory postsynaptic currents (B) Allo (depicted in red) significantly potentiated tonic currents n = 11 slices from wild-type mice with the SDS model Dia (depicted in blue) did not significantly increase tonic currents Allo (depicted in dark blue) had no effect on tonic currents n = 6 slices from δko mice with the SDS model Summary of the significant increase in the decay of inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) by allopregnanolone (100 nM) in BLA interneurons from wild-type mice with the SDS model **p = 0.0067 Summary of the significant increase of the amplitude of IPSCs by allopregnanolone (100 nM) in BLA interneurons from wild-type mice with the SDS model **p = 0.0347 *p = 0.0251 for the decay *p = 0.0044 for the amplitude The magnitude of the tonic current was calculated as previously described (Antonoudiou et al., 2022) The mean current was measured during 10 ms epochs collected every 100 ms throughout the recording A histogram of the holding currents (30 s before the application of bicuculline) and in the presence of bicuculline (30 s after bicuculline blockade) were fit with a Gaussian and the difference in the mean of the fitted curve was defined as posttonic currents Pretonic currents were measured by calculating the bicuculline-induced shift in holding currents from baseline (prior to the application of allopregnanolone or diazepam) Regarding the analysis of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) and decay were analyzed using easy electrophysiology (Easy Electrophysiology Ltd. and decay of sIPSCs for 30 s during pre- and post-treatment of allopregnanolone and diazepam were calculated by averaging the values of individual sIPSCs Decay was measured as τ by fitting individual sIPSCs with exponential functions Data are expressed as pre- and post-treatment parameters Statistical analysis was conducted using a paired t-test for pre- and post-treatment comparisons For statistical analysis for comparisons between naïve mice and SDS models an unpaired t-test was performed using pre-treatment parameters for each group Cells were excluded from the analysis if series resistance or whole-cell capacitance changed >30% during the course of the recording Surgery was performed to implant electrodes for recording LFPs, EEGs, and electromyography (EMG) signals from mice. The detailed surgical procedures have been previously described in Okada et al., 2017; Sasaki et al., 2017; Shikano et al., 2018, and Yawata et al., 2023 LFP electrode devices consisting of a core body and a custom-made electrical interface board accommodating 6–12 LFP channels and 1 ground/reference channel were assembled for LFP recordings before surgery mice were anesthetized with 1–2.5% isoflurane gas a midline incision was made from the area between the eyes to the incised neck area and two stainless-steel EMG electrodes with a tip diameter of 147 μm (AS633; Cooner Wire Company) in which the PTFE coating at the tip (~5.0 mm) was peeled off were sutured to the dorsal neck muscles Circular craniotomies with a diameter of ~1 mm were made using a high-speed drill above the mPFC (1.9 mm anterior and 0.2 mm right to the bregma) BLA (1.6 mm posterior and 3.0 mm right to the bregma) and cerebellum (5.8 mm posterior ±1.0 mm lateral to the bregma) for the ground/reference The tips of the BLA electrodes were inserted 3.85 mm from the brain surface Stainless-steel screws were implanted on the surface of the cerebellum (5.8 mm posterior and 1.0 mm right/left to the bregma) as ground/reference electrodes All the wires and the electrode assembly were secured to the skull using dental cement An EMG electrode to use in conjunction with EEG recordings was created by soldering the socket pin to a wire (0.26ETFE2X7 Electrode implantation surgery was similar to EEG and LFP recording electrodes implanted above the frontal cortex (1.5 mm anterior and ± 0.2 mm lateral to the bregma) parietal cortex (2.0 mm posterior and ± 2.5 mm lateral to the bregma) and cerebellum (5.8 mm posterior ±1.0 mm lateral to the bregma) were used for the ground/reference each mouse was connected to recording equipment to record in vivo LFP and EEG signals Recordings were conducted within a copper-shielded room to remove 60-Hz hum noise LFPs were sampled at 2 kHz using Cerebus (Blackrock Microsystems and EEG data were sampled at 400 Hz using the PowerLab system (ADInstruments The LFP data were filtered between 0.1 and 500 Hz Home-cage recordings were conducted for 60 min After a baseline recording for 30 min or allopregnanolone (20 mg/kg) intraperitoneally and recording continued for an additional 30 min mice implanted with LFP electrodes were euthanized with an overdose of isoflurane and perfused intracardially with PBS postfixed overnight in 4% paraformaldehyde and equilibrated in 30% sucrose in PBS overnight Frozen coronal sections (50 μm) were cut using a cryostat (NX50 PHC Corporation) and mounted with a DAPI-containing mounting medium (VECTASHIELD Vibrance Antifade Mounting Medium Fluorescence images were captured using an all-in-one microscope (BZ-X710; Keyence LFP recordings were excluded from the data analysis unless the electrode was in the mPFC and BLA LFP and EEG power were computed using the NeuroExplorer (Plexon Inc. United States) and the LabChart Reader (ADInstruments) The power values were normalized for each time point across the total power The average power from 0 to 15 min before drug administration was defined as the preadministration period and the average power from 15 to 30 min after administration was defined as the postadministration period Differences between groups were analyzed for statistical significance with the paired t-test for two groups in LFP recordings from wild-type mice with the SDS model Regarding LFP recordings from Gabrd−/− mice with the SDS model and EEG recordings from naïve mice and SDS mice In the EEG analysis with naïve mice and SDS mice Tukey’s test was used for multiple groups A p-value of <0.05 was taken to indicate statistical significance All data are expressed as the means ± SEMs This result demonstrated that δ-subunit-containing GABAA receptors are involved in the rapid antidepressant-like effect of allopregnanolone it can be inferred that the enhancement of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors in BLA interneurons plays a role in the antidepressant-like effects of allopregnanolone which diverge from the effects of diazepam paired t-test) but was not changed in the vehicle condition These results demonstrate that allopregnanolone increases both theta and beta oscillations in the BLA and mPFC while diazepam increases only beta activity when combined with our behavioral data in the SIT and TST theta activity might be associated with the antidepressant effects of allopregnanolone (A) Local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded from the medial frontal cortex (mPFC) and BLA of SDS mice The arrowhead in the macrographs indicates the location of the electrode tip The bottom panel demonstrates a representative trace of LFPs in the mPFC and BLA (B) Representative power spectrogram of BLA LFPs before and after allopregnanolone administration The LFP power was normalized for each time point across the total power and plotted on a pseudocolor scale (C) Time course of BLA theta oscillation (6–12 Hz) power before and after administration of vehicle (Veh The dashed line indicates the timing of drug administration Power values were normalized by total power and shown as ratios and the average from 15 to 30 min after administration was defined as the postadministration period Data are represented as the mean ± SEM of seven mice (D) BLA theta power during the preadministration and postadministration periods with Veh (black) (E,F) The same as (C,D) but for the beta oscillation (15–30 Hz) power **p = 0.0014 (A) Time course of mPFC theta power before and after administration of vehicle (Veh Data are represented as the mean ± SEM of eight mice (B) mPFC theta power during the preadministration and postadministration periods for Veh (black) Power values were normalized by total power and are shown as ratios (C,D) The same as (A,B) but for beta power ***p = 0.0004 theta activity in the BLA and mPFC mediated by δ-subunit-containing GABAA receptors is essentially involved in the antidepressant effects of allopregnanolone Involvement of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors in the increase in resting theta activity in the BLA due to allopregnanolone (A) Representative power spectrogram of BLA LFPs before and after allopregnanolone (Allo 20 mg/kg) administration in a WT mouse (top) and a GABAA receptor δ-subunit KO mouse (bottom) (B) The ratio of BLA theta power after the administration of Allo to that after the administration of vehicle (Veh) in WT (red) and KO (dark blue) mice **p = 0.0097 (E) The same as (B) but for mPFC theta power (F) The same as (C) but for mPFC beta power we have demonstrated that there is a difference in theta and beta activity in the frontal cortex between allopregnanolone and diazepam in a direct comparison study with EEG recordings from naïve and SDS model mice Distinct effect of allopregnanolone compared with diazepam on resting frontal EEG theta activity in SDS model mice (A) Electroencephalograms (EEGs) were recorded from the bilateral frontal cortex (FC) and parietal cortex (PC) of naïve and SDS model mice The EEGs of the right FC (R-FC) were used for the analysis (B) Representative power spectrogram of R-FC EEGs before and after allopregnanolone administration (C) Time course of R-FC theta power before and after the administration of vehicle (Veh Data are represented as the mean ± SEM of 14 mice (D) The ratio of R-FC theta power during the postadministration to the preadministration for Veh (black) ***p = 0.0003 and ****p < 0.0001 for vehicle versus allopregnanolone and diazepam versus allopregnanolone ****p < 0.0001 These results showed that baseline activity in the theta and beta bands decreases in the SDS model Decrease in frontal beta and theta activities in the depressive state (A) Time course of the R-FC theta power of naïve (black) and SDS (purple) mice before administration of the drug The average preadministration period of all drugs (vehicle The data are represented as the mean ± SEM of 14 mice each (B) The R-FC theta power of naïve and SDS mice during the preadministration period of drugs n naïve = 13 mice combined with δKO mice in the SDS model are needed to clarify the involvement of δ-subunit-containing GABAA receptors in the effects of SSRIs could ameliorate negative emotion and motivational affect which is regulated by BLA-PFC theta activity Neuroactive steroids with the potentiation of synaptic and extrasynaptic GABAA receptors may therefore present a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of major depressive disorder The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors The animal study was approved by All procedures were approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of Shionogi Research Laboratories The study was conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research and KO are employees belonging to Shionogi & Co. HA and SS are employed by the company Shionogi TechnoAdvance Research All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher The Supplementary material for this article can be found online at: CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Allopregnanolone decreases evoked dopamine release differently in rats by sex and estrous stage Functional anatomical abnormalities in limbic and prefrontal cortical structures in major depression CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Variations on an inhibitory theme: phasic and tonic activation of GABAA receptors Functional Recovery in Major Depressive Disorder: Focus on Early Optimized Treatment Differential network activity of benzodiazepines and neuroactive steroids observed with cortical EEG in rat Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The 'resting-state hypothesis' of major depressive disorder-a translational subcortical-cortical framework for a system disorder CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Neurobiology of emotion perception II: Implications for major psychiatric disorders CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Romano-Torres Effect of diazepam on EEG power and coherent activity: sex differences CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Mechanism-based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling of the electroencephalogram effects of GABAA receptor modulators: in vitro-in vivo correlations CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Taishi T and Ogawa K (2024) Distinct mechanisms of allopregnanolone and diazepam underlie neuronal oscillations and differential antidepressant effect Received: 08 August 2023; Accepted: 29 November 2023; Published: 08 January 2024 Copyright © 2024 Takasu, Yawata, Tashima, Aritomi, Shimada, Onodera, Taishi and Ogawa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Koichi Ogawa, a291aWNoaS5vZ2F3YUBzaGlvbm9naS5jby5qcA== Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish steel was referred to as the rice of industry This term was used in the sense that rice was indispensable for Japanese people's daily lives Steel supported the country's economic development as an indispensable materials industry for the production of automobiles and other products during Japan's period of rapid economic growth semiconductors came to be called the rice of industry Japan's iron and steel industry can be traced back to the Meiji Restoration The Meiji government promoted government-led industrial development under the slogans of "wealthy nation strong military," and "industrial development." One of the government-owned plants created as part of this effort was the Imperial Steel Works, Yawata with the cooperation of the private sector the company became Japan Iron & Steel Co. with the dissolution of zaibatsu by the Allied command in Japan the company was split into four: Yawata Iron & Steel Co Ltd Yawata Iron & Steel and Fuji Iron & Steel merged to create Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC). Two major news stories about NSC made headlines in Japan in 2024 NSC's announcement of its acquisition of United States Steel Corporation (US Steel) was the first the second was NSC's announcement of the end of its partnership with China's Baowu Steel Group The acquisition of US Steel was approved at a special meeting of US Steel shareholders on April 12 Reports from the company said the deal would cost $14.1 billion USD and politicians opposed to the deal. US Steel was formed in 1901 through the merger of Carnegie Steel and Federal Steel US Steel accounted for two-thirds of American steel production Because it is such an iconic American company there has been some opposition to the acquisition Striving to emulate US Steel as an ideal company Nippon Steel had become a strong competitor by the mid-1970s It was producing products of nearly the same quality as US Steel the world's largest crude steel producer at the time The above caption was written on the cover of a leaflet that used to be distributed at the information desk of the World Trade Center (WTC) New York for about 28 years from its opening on April 4 until its brutal destruction in a terrorist attack on September 11 It is not well known that special steel made by NSC was used in the construction of WTC which required state-of-the-art technology to manufacture was used from the WTC's 9th to the 110th floors the 43,000 tons of high-tensile steel used for this purpose was not made in the United States but in Japan According to a 1978 Nikkei article by a former Mitsui & Co executive involved in this steel transaction Yawata Iron & Steel (now NSC) would produce the steel Mitsui & Co would export it to Pacific Car and Foundry in Seattle There it would be processed into semi-finished products for delivery to the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. it was believed that only US Steel and Bethlehem Steel could produce this special steel it turned out that Yawata Iron & Steel had the capacity to produce it as well The Japanese product was chosen because it could be produced at a lower cost WTC was made of the most advanced steel materials of the time it collapsed because the structure itself could not withstand the impact and heat of 800 degrees Celsius caused by the terrorist attack Considering that the Twin Towers were designed by Minoru Yamasaki (1912-86) Its construction also coincided with the period when NSC surpassed US Steel in crude steel production. NSC is exploring new opportunities through the acquisition and integration of its former mentor and rival NSC has ended its long-standing relationship with a Chinese steel company that was once its student and is now a rival Forty-seven years ago the Chinese government asked NSC to cooperate in the construction of a large-scale integrated steel plant NSC announced its withdrawal from the joint venture with Baowu Steel Group NSC's decision came amid Japanese automakers' ongoing sales struggles and withdrawals from automaking in China. The impetus for economic cooperation between Japan and China dates back to 1972 That was when diplomatic relations between the two countries were normalized Japan received a request from China for cooperation in the construction of a large-scale integrated steel plant in 1977 NSC agreed and the major project was set in motion then-Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping visited the modern facilities of Nippon Steel Kimitsu Works (NSC Kimitsu) His visit demonstrated the Chinese government's extraordinary desire to build a modern steel plant. This author once assisted in a seminar with Chinese dignitaries in the early 1980s I accompanied a delegation on a tour of NSC Kimitsu I remember well how surprised the visitors in Chinese tunic suits were when they saw a modern steel mill It was their first exposure to a capitalist economy NSC provided generous cooperation until the completion of the No 1 blast furnace of Baoshan Steel Mill in 1985 This included not only the construction of facilities but also the transfer of technology and personnel training NSC's support continued even after the subsequent expansion of the steel mill's scale with the second and third phases It should not be forgotten that Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) played an important role in financing the project China's crude steel production was only 25 million tons per year Baoshan Steel merged with other steel mills it produced 130.8 million tons of crude steel on its own The modernization of the Japanese steel industry dates back to 1901 began operations then under the design and technical guidance of the German Gutehoffnungshütte Aktienverein (GHH) Japanese steelmaking technology improved rapidly and became world-class both technologically and in terms of scale. China's steel industry embarked on a new reform and open-door policy of introducing capitalism under the one-party dictatorship of the Communist Party It sought cooperation from Japan in the production of iron an important element of industrial development Baowu Steel and other Chinese steel companies have become formidable competitors to Japanese steel companies in the global market NSC has ended its 47-year-long relationship with China This decision is in step with many Japanese automakers withdrawing from the Chinese market where electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming mainstream. The proposed acquisition of US Steel by NSC is a response to the major shift in the global automobile market from gasoline-powered vehicles to EVs It also reflects NSC and US Steel's respective positions in the business life cycle Integration with US Steel is a natural move for NSC which has completed its growth and maturity phases It is time to take a new step forward to compete with growing Chinese steel companies the former leader of the global steel industry These include further penetration into the global market and production expansion through economies of scale Yoshifumi Fukuzawa is a business consultant and former lecturer at Waseda University You must be logged in to post a comment ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Leaf KYOTO Store Locations Enjoy a menu prepared using ingredients from hometown and Yawata at WARAKU-YA-SO GENKUN, a new restaurant in Yawata City. The menu varies from day to day, but they often create dishes according to guests' requests. In addition to sake carefully selected from all over Japan, the restaurant also offers a rare Yoronjima black rice bran shochu called "Shimayusen" and shikwasa shochu, which can also be enjoyed. Wagyu beef roll with Kujo leeks 980 yen. Kujo leeks from Yawata are crunchy and pleasant to the touch. The homemade sweet and spicy sauce is very appetizing! Yoron Salt Mozuku Tempura Salad 880 yen. Mozuku tempura, popular on Yoron Island and in Okinawa, has a unique flavor with a crispy surface and chewy inside! Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard): 680 yen. A popular menu item that most customers order. The smooth texture makes it easy to eat. Volume 18 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2024.1404603 Effective treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) have long been needed One hypothesis for the mechanism of depression involves a decrease in neuroactive steroids such as allopregnanolone an endogenous positive allosteric modulator of the γ-aminobutyric acid–gated chloride channel (GABAA) receptor exhibited antidepressant-like effects in the social interaction test (SIT) of social defeat stress (SDS) model mice the dynamics of neuronal activity underlying the antidepressant-like effect remain unknown we conducted local field potentials (LFPs) recordings from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) during the SIT to elucidate the relationship between the antidepressant-like effect and neuronal oscillation We discovered that allopregnanolone has antidepressant-like effects in the SIT of SDS model mice by decreasing intervals of repetitive social interaction (inter-event intervals) resulting in increase of total social interaction time We also found that theta and beta oscillation increased in BLA at the onset of social interaction following administration of allopregnanolone which differed from the effects of diazepam Theta and beta power in BLA within the social interaction zone exhibited a positive correlation with interaction time This increase of theta and beta power was negatively correlated with inter-event intervals Regarding theta-band coordinated activity between the BLA and mPFC theta power correlation decreased at the onset of social interaction with the administration of allopregnanolone These findings suggest that theta activity in BLA following social interaction and the reduced theta-band coordinated activity between the BLA and mPFC are implicated in social interaction which is one of the antidepressant behaviors These differences in neural activity could elucidate the distinctive mechanism underlying antidepressant-like effects of neuroactive steroids We also demonstrated that allopregnanolone increased theta and beta (15–30 Hz) activities in the BLA and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) whereas diazepam only increased beta activity in the resting state LFPs of mice primarily examining neural activities during resting state in the home cage the precise temporal dynamics of neural activities during the social behavior associated with the manifestation of antidepressant-like effects are still unknown we recorded the LFPs in BLA and mPFC from SDS model mice while conducting the SIT enabling us to associate neural activity with specific behavior such as social interaction We investigated the oscillation in BLA and mPFC as well as the coordinated activity between these regions associated with antidepressant-like effects elicited by neuroactive steroids which differs from the effects of benzodiazepines Experiments were performed using C57BL/6 J Jcl mice and Crl:CD1 (ICR) retired mice ICR mice (male) were purchased from Jackson Laboratory C57BL/6 J Jcl mice (male) were purchased from CLEA Japan H 160 mm) with bedding paper chips (SLC Japan United States) under environmental enrichment Electrophysiological assessments were performed according to the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International guidelines Diazepam and was purchased from Fujifilm (Japan) A C57BL/6 J Jcl mouse was defeated by a larger stranger ICR mouse as previously described (Takasu et al., 2024). Briefly, each individual defeat lasts 10 min (Figure 1A) If the mice developed severe injuries or extreme weakness during the 10-day defeat procedure they could be euthanized at the veterinarian’s discretion SIT was conducted to select the mice with depression-like behavior with a series of sequential 3 tests: (1) Each C57BL/6 J Jcl mouse was placed in an open field chamber (40 × 30 × 20 cm) with an empty a plastic box at one end and the mouse was allowed to freely explore the chamber for 150 s the C57BL/6 J Jcl mouse was placed in an open field chamber where a novel male ICR mouse was enclosed in a plastic box at one end and the mouse was allowed to freely explore the chamber for 150 s under video recording the time that each mouse spent in the interaction zone (5 cm around the plastic box with or without the ICR mouse) was calculated by tracking the mass of the mouse with the EthoVision XT video-tracking system (Noldus Information Technology direct SIT time 2 (dSIT2) and direct SIT time 3 (dSIT3) Depression-like mice were used for in vivo electrophysiological studies with local field potential (LFP) recordings A C57BL/6 J Jcl (BL6) mouse was defeated by a larger ICR mouse for 10 days SIT was conducted to select depression-like mice which were implanted LFP electrodes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) The center bottom traces are representative LFPs in the mPFC and BLA Time in the interaction zone (shaded in red) and frequency of entering the interaction zone were measured (B) Interaction time after administration of vehicle (Veh red column) and allopregnanolone 10 mg/kg (Allo_10 (C) Inter-event interval of social interaction event after administration of Veh ****p < 0.0001 (D) Duration of social interaction event after administration of Veh SIT was conducted 30 min after administration of allopregnanolone (10 or 20 mg/kg) Data are expressed as the time that each mouse spent in the direct interaction zone the inter-event interval that the period between the offset of the previous interaction and the onset of the present interaction and the duration of each interaction event Multiple group comparisons were performed using Tukey’s test after one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) Surgery was performed to implant electrodes for recording LFPs and electromyography (EMG) signals from mice. The detailed surgical procedures have been previously described in Yawata et al. (2023) and Takasu et al. (2024) mice were anesthetized with 1%–2.5% isoflurane gas and 2 stainless-steel EMG electrodes with a tip diameter of 147 μm (AS633; Cooner Wire Company) in which the PTFE coating at the tip (~5.0 mm) was peeled off were sutured to the dorsal neck muscles and cerebellum (5.8 mm posterior ±1.0 mm lateral to bregma) for the ground/reference The tips of the BLA and mPFC electrodes were inserted 3.85 and 2.1 mm from the brain surface each mouse was connected to recording equipment to record in vivo LFP signals or allopregnanolone (10 or 20 mg/kg) intraperitoneally These drugs were administered sequentially on the same mice with an interval of at least 1 day and then allopregnanolone (20 mg/kg) For the measurement of allopregnanolone (10 mg/kg) the mouse was placed in the open field chamber and SIT was conducted with LFPs recording PHC Corporation) and mounted with DAPI-containing mounting medium (VECTASHIELD Vibrance Antifade Mounting Medium LFP recordings were excluded from the data analysis unless the electrode was in the BLA and the mPFC The LFP power and the mPFC-BLA LFP power correlation at the onset of social interactions was calculated as the change from the baseline the mean of −5~0 s of each interaction event The LFP power of the mean of 3~5 s of each interaction was used for the comparison among vehicle The interaction events which lasted for at least 5 s with an interval of at least 5 s from the previous event were used for the analysis of the LFP power and LFP power correlation but for the baseline of the mean of −10~−5 s of each interaction event The mPFC-BLA correlative activity of the mean of 0~5 s of each interaction was used for the comparison among vehicle The interaction events which lasted for at least 5 s with an interval of at least 10 s from the previous event were used for the analysis of the coherence The events with high variability in the baseline defined as the difference between the maximum and minimum values exceeding the mean plus two standard deviations (mean + 2SD) of all events The relationships between the mean inter-event interval of each mouse and LFP power difference between inside and outside the interaction zone throughout the entire experiment were calculated using the data from mice with three or more events The relationships between the LFP signals in the interaction zone and the social interaction time were calculated in 150-s bins Tukey’s test after one-way ANOVA was used for multiple comparison and Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated for the correlation analysis p < 0.05 was taken to indicate statistical significance suggesting that the increase in social interaction time was not solely attributable to restoration of locomotor activity These findings suggest that mice administered with allopregnanolone reduced the time until their next social interaction event rather than increasing duration of individual interactions These findings suggest that theta and beta activity are elicited by social interaction in the presence of allopregnanolone increases theta and beta oscillation in the BLA at the onset of social behavior (A) Time course of theta power in the BLA around the onset of social interaction in administration of vehicle (Veh The power was normalized for each time point across the total power Baseline was set at the mean of −5~0 s of each event Right bar graph indicates the mean of 3~5 s after interaction ***p = 0.0006 increased theta and beta activity in the social interaction zone are associated with the overall social interaction time by reducing intervals between interactions Theta and beta power in the BLA during social interaction are positively correlated with social interaction time (A) The relationship between mean theta power in the BLA during social interaction and social interaction time (150-s bins) in the social interaction test after administration of Veh (black dots) p = 0.26 and 0.28 for theta and beta power These findings indicate that a decrease in theta correlated activity is associated with social interaction following the administration of allopregnanolone suggesting that the decrease in correlated theta-band activity between mPFC and BLA is involved in social interaction decreases theta-band correlated activity between mPFC and BLA at the onset of social behavior (A) Time course of mPFC-BLA theta power correlation around the onset of social interaction in administration of vehicle (Veh Right bar graph indicates the mean of 0~5 s after interaction our data may represent a distinctive mechanism underlying the antidepressant-like effects of neuroactive steroids the result showing an increase in theta activity only with allopregnanolone while theta activity did not increase with diazepam or vehicle despite mice administered with these drugs also engaging in social interaction One possibility is that theta activity induced by social interaction following the administration of allopregnanolone has an impact on the motivation for following interactions This could contribute to the shorter inter-event intervals in the Allo_20 condition compared to other conditions this increase in theta activity was observed in BLA The positive correlation between theta and beta power and social interaction time was able observed solely in BLA These findings suggest that BLA may play a central role in regulating antidepressant-like behavior suggesting the importance of theta-coordinated activity between these regions these studies suggest the potential involvement of BLA theta activity in the control of social behavior in depression-model mice It is anticipated that future research will shed light on this aspect Neuroactive steroids regulate emotional cognition by altering the functional connectivity between amygdala and frontal cortex (Sripada et al., 2014) and counteract the network activity dysregulated by chronic stress (Antonoudiou et al., 2022) These effects may lead to antidepressant effects of neuroactive steroids we investigated the precise temporal dynamics of neural activities associated with antidepressant-like effects using the SIT We discovered that theta oscillation in the BLA along with its coordinated activity with the mPFC induced by allopregnanolone the modulation of theta-band coordinated activities through neuroactive steroids may offer a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of MDD Allopregnanolone but not diazepam elicits antidepressant-like effects through increasing social interaction events and increase theta oscillation in BLA which is correlated with the onset of social behavior The datasets presented in this study can be found in online repositories. The names of the repository/repositories and accession number(s) can be found in the article/Supplementary material The animal studies were approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of Shionogi Research Laboratories The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements Written informed consent was obtained from the owners for the participation of their animals in this study The Supplementary material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2024.1404603/full#supplementary-material 5α-reductase type I expression is downregulated in the prefrontal cortex/Brodmann's area 9 (BA9) of depressed patients Zuranolone and its role in treating major depressive disorder: a narrative review Google Scholar Allopregnanolone mediates affective switching through modulation of oscillatory states in the basolateral amygdala Disrupted posterior cingulate-amygdala connectivity in postpartum depressed women as measured with resting BOLD fMRI Deligiannidis and neuroactive steroids in peripartum and peripartum depressed women: a functional magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy study Deligiannidis GABAergic neuroactive steroids and resting-state functional connectivity in postpartum depression: a preliminary study Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar a GABA<sub>a</sub> modulator in the treatment of postpartum depression in adults: a comprehensive review Density and function of central serotonin (5-HT) transporters and effects of their targeting on BTBR T+tf/J mouse social behavior 4-Hz oscillations synchronize prefrontal-amygdala circuits during fear behavior Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Efficacy and safety of zuranolone in Japanese adults with major depressive disorder: a double-blind Prefrontal-amygdalar oscillations related to social behavior in mice Local or not local: investigating the nature of striatal theta oscillations in behaving rats Prefrontal entrainment of amygdala activity signals safety in learned fear and innate anxiety Understanding the effects of chronic benzodiazepine use in depression: a focus on neuropharmacology Meltzer-Brody Allopregnanolone in postpartum depression: role in pathophysiology and treatment Social defeat: impact on fear extinction and amygdala-prefrontal cortical theta synchrony in 5-HTT deficient mice Neuroimaging correlates and predictors of response to repeated-dose intravenous ketamine in PTSD: preliminary evidence Petković Encore: behavioural animal models of stress Amygdalar control of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system: parallel pathways to motivated behavior Preclinical and clinical pharmacology of brexanolone (allopregnanolone) for postpartum depression: a landmark journey from concept to clinic in neurosteroid replacement therapy Effects of antidepressant treatment on neuroactive steroids in major depression The neurosteroids allopregnanolone and dehydroepiandrosterone modulate resting-state amygdala connectivity Increase in the cerebrospinal fluid content of neurosteroids in patients with unipolar major depression who are receiving fluoxetine or fluvoxamine Takasu K and Ogawa K (2024) Differential effects of allopregnanolone and diazepam on social behavior through modulation of neural oscillation dynamics in basolateral amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex Received: 21 March 2024; Accepted: 26 April 2024; Published: 05 June 2024 Copyright © 2024 Yawata, Tashima, Aritomi, Shimada, Onodera, Taishi, Takasu and Ogawa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) In finally giving confirmation to the bitter truth that many fans of the medium already knew Disney Plus Japan boss Takuto Yawata has admitted that the wider anime industry is actively attempting to change it’s core identity in an attempt to make the medium more appealing to global audiences particularly those located in the Western world RELATED: Big West Announces Macross Franchise To Land Exclusively On Disney Plus, Hulu the House of Mouse’s entry into the anime business has Launching an anime-only streaming hub named ‘Disney Plus Star’ in October 2021 the entertainment conglomerate has since outpaced some of their more-established rivals in acquiring an impressive and popular catalog of exclusive content Ranger Reject (unfortunately localized as Go Having overseen the service’s continued growth ever since its inception, Yawata was extremely informed on the current state of the overall anime industry when he was asked about during an April 2024 interview with Japanese news outlet Mantanweb Asked for his thoughts on the fact that the general anime medium is no longer a ‘niche’ one with more and more fans finding themselves drawn to its unique offerings every day the Head of Disney Plus Japan opined (as machine translated via DeepL) “There is no doubt that we have undergone very significant changes over the past 10 years Japanese animation is entering a golden age.” “What has changed compared to 10 years ago is that we used to think of the business as a set of videograms and TV broadcasts and we used to make works for people who could buy videograms,” he explained “We were making films for people who could buy videograms but [streaming] distribution has become more common and the target audience is no longer limited to the domestic market The rise of [streaming] distribution is why it has spread globally It is playing a very large role as a communication tool for users around the world and I believe that Japanese animation is still in the process of evolving.” Japanese animation is entering a golden age what has changed from something that was aimed at a limited number of fans is that people started thinking about the business of videograms and TV broadcasts and bought videograms.” and the target audience is no longer limited to the domestic market,” he added “The rise of distribution is why it has spread globally It is playing a very significant role as a communication tool for users around the world and I believe that Japanese animation is still in the process of evolving!” RELATED: Kodansha Summons New Trailer For ‘Ranger Reject’, Confirms Worldwide Simulcast To Air Exclusively On Disney Plus so we focused on storytelling that would be well received in North America were conscious of the fact that we had to focus on domestic the same fun and excitement can be experienced at the same time in any region,” he added “That is how common Japanese animation has become around the world What we thought was for the Japanese market is now accepted in all regions I believe that the market has matured to that extent.” Their curiosity piqued by his mention of anime’s acceptance on the global stage Mantanweb then asked Yawata,”Japanese animation has a history of unique evolution that is not found anywhere else There is even a kind of radicalized expression When it comes to distribution to the world is it necessary to change the style?” “I don’t think there has been any major shift but there may be a shift toward adopting more acceptable expressions.” expressions that do not hurt or mislead people should be taken for granted,” he continued there was a tendency for only those who wanted to buy them to do so but our awareness is changing because we are now distributing to a larger market through a service that can be viewed at any time by adults and children alike.” despite the industry’s growing focus on Western audiences Yawata attempted to assure the outlet that when it came to which works to distribute on Disney Plus Star his main concern was that the given anime provide an viewers with a worthwhile story “I want to reiterate that our primary focus is on the best storytelling,” he said “We don’t have a specific genre or style of work in mind and since our service is viewed by a diverse audience we don’t focus on any particular genre.” Yawata took a moment to address the widespread the concern many fans have held regarding Disney’s motivation in acquiring the exclusive global rights to big name franchises such as the aforementioned Bleach and Macross “We understand that Disney Plus’ exclusive distribution of Japanese animation has been met with a certain amount of surprise,” he noted but we are also a member of the productions we distribute so we want to contribute to the excitement of the productions such as tie-ins with movie versions like Sand Land: The Series.“ “The best example of this is the expansion is our collaboration with Kodansha for which we are focusing on ways to boost the excitement beyond our position as a distribution platform,” he stated “We are working hard to make our partners and fans feel the benefits of exclusive distribution we are trying to help bring the best of Japanese creativity and storytelling to the world” Yawata shared his optimism towards the future of anime and there is now a market that accepts anything that deviates from the high road.” “We also believe that no matter what the setting the point at which people are moved remains the same even if it is universal,” said the exec We believe that it is universal and can deliver an emotional experience equally well for any time period and while new ones are continually being created At the time of this writing Disney Plus Star is available worldwide except for the US where all Disney licensed anime is available on to stream on Hulu NEXT: Bandai Namco Confirms ‘Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture’ For Global Release On Disney Plus More About:Anime Leaf KYOTO Store Locations Yawata's [Bread Kobo Heidi] The white walls of the restaurant give it a simple and cute atmosphere the smiling faces of the owner and his wife and the smell of savory bread will make you smile The owner uses mainly Yumechikara flour from Hokkaido which he says he arrived at after experimenting with various flours and he makes his bread by fermenting it for an extended period of time but there is also a well-balanced lineup of prepared breads and sweet breads There are also many breads that appeal to people of all ages is the owner's recommendation for the harmony of peppery The popular fruit variegated 200 yen is a Danish pastry filled with a variety of fruits depending on the season The party sweet tart 200 yen is a Danish with sweet potato with a flavor that has remained unchanged for 30 years melt in your mouth with the owner's signature homemade custard cream and fluffy dough Today's print edition Home Delivery In a sector where women are rarely seen at the forefront, 33-year-old Shoko Kawata made history by becoming Japan's youngest female city mayor when she was elected in Yawata, southern Kyoto Prefecture last year. Her victory was unexpected — but for some is a welcome change Kawata successfully appealed to the almost 70,000 people residing in the city backed by the support of three political parties the record for youngest city mayor was held by Sawako Naito who was 36 years old when she was elected as Tokushima’s mayor in 2020.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); having spent a little more than two months in the mayoral office Kawata has expressed her wish to listen to and incorporate people’s feedback in creating a positive community In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division A 33-year-old former secretary of a ruling party lawmaker has become Japan's youngest-ever female mayor after winning election in Yawata according to the Japanese city mayors' association an independent backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito as well as the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan beat two other newcomers in the mayoral election held following the resignation of the former mayor "I want to empathize with people from all generations and work on creating a community that can grow," Kawata said as she celebrated her victory with supporters The previous holder of the record for youngest female mayor was Sawako Naito who was elected in the Tokushima mayoral election in 2020 at the age of 36 The record holder for the youngest mayor in Japan is Ryosuke Takashima at the age of 26 He was elected in the Ashiya mayoral election in Hyogo Prefecture in April Kawata joined the Kyoto city government in 2015 and worked as a caseworker supporting residents' daily lives a House of Councillors member who belongs to the LDP Kawata ran for office after being nominated as the former mayor's successor and campaigned on a platform of free medical care for children up to the age of 18 a former prefectural assembly member belonging to the Japan Innovation Party a former city assembly member backed by the Japanese Communist Party 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 Leaf KYOTO Store Locations [Mei's Table] sells freshly baked goods at Yawata stores but started selling in stores about two years ago The process of making Danish bread is more labor-intensive than regular bread and the difficult shaping process is made possible by the skills of skilled craftsmen The exquisite melt-in-your-mouth texture and the sweetness of the unique oil will leave you wanting more and many people enjoy it not only for breakfast but also as a snack This is a popular item at department store events so go to the store and get it freshly made Sweet Danish (Amaou Strawberry Milk) 1100 yen per loaf is only available in spring You'll fall in love with the harmony of the amaou juice and white chocolate woven into the danish A well-balanced mix of fresh cream and butter is added to the dough to create a natural sweetness a signature product made by the skill of a veteran baker The sweetness is somewhere between bread and cake Leaf KYOTO Store Locations Enjoy the ultimate hospitality bento boxed lunch box that captures the seasons at Kyoto Kitcho Shokado in Yawata Shokado bento is characterized by its crisscrossed interior and high rimmed lid was a priest of Ishinomizu Hachimangu Shrine a hermitage he established after his retirement and invented it as a container for cooking Kyoto Kitcho Shokado offers mainly Shokado bento in a refined Japanese space which stimulates the five senses and is based on the 24 solar terms is perfect for special occasions and celebrations After enjoying the cuisine while gazing at the beautiful Japanese garden with its pond and bamboo grove you can also visit the adjacent Shokado Garden and art museum An example of Shokado Bento (boxed lunch) for Masa 8300 yen The famous Shokado bento includes sukiyaki of Japanese black beef shoulder loin Leaf KYOTO Store Locations A new store that will attract the attention of health-conscious people [Riz brun Bakery Yahata store] A popular bakery in Joyo opened its third store in Yawata The most distinctive feature of this bakery is the brown rice kneaded into the dough The brown rice gives the dough a sticky texture and a unique savory flavor," says the owner whose simple seasoning brings out the deliciousness of the dough It is also recommended for use in sandwiches so it is important to have enough to fill you up It is also rich in vitamins and dietary fiber so many people expect health and beauty benefits The popular breads include brown rice mountain bread with a total of about 50 varieties available The brown rice accentuates the never-ending flavor making customers want to come back again and again for more made with premium French butter with a rich milk flavor The combination of the crunchy cookie dough on the outside and the moist texture on the inside is addictive Leaf KYOTO Store Locations Yawata's [BAKE café mado mittsu.] where you can taste professional bread baked in a home oven but choose it with the balance of sourness and sweetness in mind This cafe is run by Asahi Taniguchi and Kenichi Nakamura Mimi is crispy and the inside is soft and fluffy the main menu is mountain-shaped bread that feels firm and elastic when you bite into it The 4cm thick slices of toast are available in nine different flavors What's surprising is that the breads and baked goods they sell Nakamura's mother taught a baking class and always baked delicious bread at home we are also considering offering baking classes Leaf KYOTO Store Locations Comorebi Coffee where you can enjoy coffee made with the specialties of a former school principal previously worked as an elementary school principal he became a certified coffee meister and opened a coffee shop in an old private house that used to be Omori's grandparents' home The shop is environmentally friendly and sells about 20 types of coffee which can be identified by the farm from which they were grown The coffee served is hand-drip cupped using beans roasted the day before and aged overnight The handmade roasting scale classifies the beans according to mildness allowing you to choose the cup that best suits your mood today Mametaro's snack set (iced coffee) 400 yen Ethiopian hand-drip coffee with a sweet taste and custard-filled mignonette Leaf KYOTO Store Locations Enjoy the taste of a masterpiece with a Cuban sandwich at Cafe and Dining AURORA in Yawata The blue exterior wall is an eye-catching feature in town The signature dishes are the same as before: Cuban sandwiches and lemonade The Cuban sandwich is a sandwich popular in Florida and the former owner was inspired by the movie and the roast pork inside is now cooked once and then grilled crispy and juicy on the surface You can also enjoy Cuban sandwiches at night during par time Cuban sandwich and lemonade lunch set for 1,310 yen and other ingredients are sandwiched between bread and pressed to a savory perfection After most notably dabbling in the medium with Star Wars: Visions Disney has reportedly assured Japanese audiences that anime is a “focus area” for the company to the extent that they hope to “transmit them overseas just the way they are” RELATED: Disney Heir Responds To Parental Rights In Education Law, Claims “This ‘Anti-Woke’ Right Wing Nonsense Is Unsupported By A Large Majority Of Americans” As reported by Anime News Network the House of Mouse held a seminar at the recent AnimeJapan consumer expo to provide industry attendees with insight into their business plans regarding the now-more-popular-than-ever Japanese medium Following a brief overview of Disney Plus’ operations given by Executive Director of Original Content Gaku Narita Head of Animation Takuto Yawata took the stage to address the company’s specific plans for expanding their library of anime offerings Stating to attendees that anime was a “focus area” for the country Yawata then asserted that while Disney wanted to diversify their content they did not want to do so at the expense of a creator’s vision “We deeply respect the works of Japanese creators and we will transmit them overseas just the way they are,” Yawata promised RE:ATED” ScreenRant Claims Manga “Is Just As Political As Anything Published By Marvel Or DC,” Gets Roasted By Fans Who Know The Difference Providing a run down of the upcoming anime titles confirmed to be headed to the Japanese edition of the Disney streaming service Black Rock Shooter: Dawn Fall – Summer Time Rendering Yawata heralded the aforementioned Star Wars: Visions and Disney Twisted-Wonderland – a Disney villains-centric gacha mobile game illustrated by Black Butler mangaka Yana Toboso – as proud examples of the possibilities offered to the company by the medium “I am confident that this will open a new door,” said Yawata putting forth the “Disney Difference” as something beneficial they could offer the medium in turn “We have great expectations for producing local content This includes completely new works from Japan.” Prior to their production of the Star Wars: Visions anthology series Disney previously attempted to enter the anime market proper with their Marvel properties producing two well-received anime series based on the publisher’s library of heroes – Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers and Marvel Future Avengers – since acquiring them in 2009 What do you make of Disney’s plans to enter the anime market proper Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below NEXT: Disney Executives Admit They Are Pushing “Not-At-All-Secret Gay Agenda,” Actively Removing Gendered Greetings, And A Whole Lot More Exploring the rolling hills and harsh mountains of Izumi Settsu, you're likely to have stumbled upon Assassin's Creed Shadows' Makino Kurumazuka Kofun If you've completed the other kofun in the region then you'll know that legendary gear and knowledge await you But you can't seem to get inside thanks to the pile of rocks blocking the entrance at the bottom of the stairs don't spend a good ten minutes trying to figure out how to get inside only to find out that you couldn't like I did Below I'll go over how you can enter and complete this kofun so you don't waste your time too And if you don't know what I'm talking about you can find Makino Kurumazuka Kofun in the Yawata Plains of Izumi Settsu (Image credit: Ubisoft)(Image credit: Ubisoft)(Image credit: Ubisoft)You need to have unlocked Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows before you can enter the Makino Kurumazuka kofun Because only this hulking samurai is capable of carrying the explosive jars required to blow open the rock wall blocking your path The kofun itself also requires you to play as Yasuke to complete it since there are lots more explosive jars and heavy wooden blocks to move around At the top of the short staircase leading down into the kofun you'll find a few explosive barrels lying around if you're playing as Naoe like I was when I discovered this kofun you could just pick them up and throw them wherever you wanted This time around only Yasuke can perform this supposedly Herculean feat Pick up one of the explosive jars and carry it down the stairs use any attack to blow up the jar and break the rocks this is best done with one of Yasuke's ranged weapons and you'll find arrows and teppo shots on the surface too You can also use Naoe's kunai or even just whack the jars with your sword you're free to explore and complete the kofun just like any other earning the valuable knowledge points you'll need to get higher-level skills You'll also earn the Blush of the Earth legendary bow for Yasuke This bow extends the Clear Mind skill duration by five seconds letting you slow time to line up shots even more easily Makino Kurumazuka Kofun is admittedly rather confusing It's dark and full of tight corridors that are hard to navigate especially since you have to complete it as the hulking Yasuke here's a step-by-step guide to complete Makino Kurumazuka If you enjoyed diving into this confusing kofun then you're in luck because most kofun are designed like this They're cramped and very head to make sense of Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Guides WriterRory has made the fatal error of playing way too many live service games at once and somehow still finding time for everything in between He’s even sunk 1,000 hours into The Elder Scrolls Online over the years At least he put all those hours spent grinding challenges to good use over the years as a freelancer and guides editor often breaking down the environmental design of his favourite games he’s probably lost in a cave with a bunch of dwarves shouting “rock and stone” to no end you will then be prompted to enter your display name we celebrate and honor mothers around the world and we recognize that every mother is unique in how they approach motherhood. Seven Asian-American women reflect upon their experiences as they speak about differences between how their mothers raised them and how they are choosing to raise their own children Trinh Yawata: “I would say the biggest difference in how I’m raising my daughter versus how my mother raised me is communication I think my mom grew up in a culture and generation where you were taught to listen and to keep quiet Children are taught to respect elders and not to question anything they say I saw how my non-Asian American friends would openly disagree with their parents and at times even negotiations to reach a mutual understanding I see the benefit to giving my daughter a voice to express her feelings and to always feel like she can come to me about anything Lily Siddiqui: “My mom was loving and attentive but she was also very busy working at the garment factory she never understood the educational system or ever attended parent-teacher conferences There were few expectations and minimal pressure coming from my parents for me and my siblings My mother still had the concept that a girl should have enough household skills I remember that she didn’t really encourage higher education That is probably one of the reasons that I was hard on my children and gave them a lot of guidance than I received from my own mom I was harder on my daughter than my son because she was a girl I wanted her to do and be better in this ‘man’s world.’” Mimi Park: “I think the biggest difference between the way my mom raised me versus the way I am raising my boys is that I am trying to be a less ‘serious’ parent. I think the Asian culture’s emphasis on respect for elders — parents friend’s parents — sometimes creates an image of seriousness. Being respectful to your elders may mean you act a certain way to reinforce their authority and your obedience. Although my mom was not the most strict mom by Asian standards she also did not allow herself to be fun and silly with me and my brother. She was always a loving mom and moments of silliness from her. As I grew up and became an adult our relationship changed; she became less serious and now we giggle and laugh together like silly teenagers! I think it’s important to teach children to respect and honor adults but we need to let ourselves go and be fun and silly with our kids too! We can all use laughter in our lives!” having moved there from India when I was 6 My mom raised my brother and me in a relatively relaxed environment by Indian standards We spoke Gujarati and English mixed in with Indonesian at home and ate Indonesian food for lunch and Indian food for dinner She did a great job at helping us to assimilate to a new country and also kept us connected to some traditional Asian/Indian values in the family such as respecting our elders and never questioning anything they say When I came to the United States after high school but my mom continued to instill our Indian culture into our daily lives that I grew up with many contrasting values I automatically follow many of her examples when I try to keep my kids connected to their cultural heritage as they grow up here in the US; however I am more aware of their conflict between being American and their Indian heritage. So I am trying to find a balance between the Asian values and letting them have more freedom of expression and encouraging their curiosity about what it means growing up somewhat ‘Indian’ in NYC.” Sandy Liu: “My mom raised me to be respectful of elders — seniors ALWAYS! They were always right and not to ever be questioned. You listen and obey I teach my kids differently to question everything even elders including myself because I believe that everyone is human and not always right That’s also how they learn to be unafraid of anybody.” Irene Zak: “I was born in the Philippines but was raised in New York since I was one year old My parents spoke to us in Tagalog and English so my brother and I have been able to understand our native language from the start I do try to teach our cultural heritage to my son so I am always careful to have him learn a little bit of all three But one of the biggest differences in how I’m raising my son is the amount of time I am able to spend with him Although I always felt loved and taken care of my mother was a working mom who worked a 9 to 5 job in Manhattan I would have to wait till she came home before I could ask her a question on my homework or wait till the weekends to have my play dates She would always make up for lost time with us by having weekends filled with activities to the beach apple picking or even just baking with me in the kitchen I am able to see every moment in his life no matter how small I take him to after school activities and even play dates to see best friend and I can see how much my mother has sacrificed to raise us Karen Lin: “One of my earliest memories with my mom is when I was about 5 years old She was cleaning the bathroom and I was sitting in a chair nearby she was trying to go over my multiplication tables with me I was always upset because I wanted to play outside instead of having to learn math or whatever other subject my mom tried to teach me I realized how hard my mom worked at her regular day job AND then had to come home to an even tougher job of raising me and my brother she was trying to give us every opportunity possible so that our lives wouldn’t be as hard as hers I realized even more how impressive it was that she made so much time to teach me anything I have to admit that while I always loved my mom I never learned to appreciate her until I had a child of my own My mom took one month off of work each time after my daughters were born to cook and care for me and spent hours making food and stews to help me recover post birth She showed me how to properly burp my daughters She made me take naps and breaks and told me to relax and not stress my mom showed me that once someone becomes a mother even when their children are grown and have their own children My daughters might not learn their multiplication by age 5 but you bet that I will take a page from my mom’s book and give them everything I have We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info 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 was elected Sunday to be mayor of the city of Yawata in the western Japan prefecture of Kyoto becoming the youngest female city mayor in Japanese history who had worked as a secretary of a member of the House of Councillors was supported by the Liberal Democratic Party the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito in the mayoral election which was held due to the previous mayor’s resignation She picked up more votes than two other candidates—Ken Ogata from Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) a former member of the Kyoto prefectural assembly who became mayor of the city of Tokushima in the namesake prefecture in western Japan at the age of 36 was previously the country’s youngest-ever elected female city mayor according to the Japan Association of City Mayors Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information Kyoto Prefecture—Despite lacking ties to this city and being described as a poor public speaker a former social worker won an election here to become the youngest female mayor in Japan a city of about 70,000 residents south of the ancient capital of Kyoto Kawata was backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party junior coalition partner Komeito and the main opposition party Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan Kawata graduated from the economics faculty of Kyoto University before entering the Kyoto city government to work as a case worker for those seeking public assistance She said the problems encountered by her family in obtaining educational support for her younger brother who had an intellectual disability stimulated her interest in politics when she was in senior high school Kawata said she entered politics to “prescribe” policies that can cure various problems facing society The mayoral election was made necessary because Fumiaki Horiguchi Kawata’s name came up because Horiguchi said that despite her young age she had experience working in social welfare After working in the Kyoto city government an LDP Upper House member who was once president of the Diet chamber During an appearance before the official start of the campaign Santo acknowledged that Kawata had no direct ties to the community was not well known and was a poor public speaker “But she loves Yawata and is eager to go to work on behalf of the city,” Santo said Kawata relied on municipal assembly members from the three parties that supported her to arrange meetings with local companies and other organizations Kawata said she saw how children were being neglected by their parents and how employees at child consultation centers were being stretched to the limit with the workload The conditions made it difficult for the centers to cooperate with social welfare offices to help families and protect children Kawata found her youth an advantage during the campaign because many young mothers could easily talk to her about ways to improve their communities Geisha facing dire straits as virus scares off Kyoto customers Heartbroken Kyoto prays for peace to prevail in sister city Kyiv Anri Kawai resigns from Diet after bribery conviction 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 Public Relations Office, Government of Japan Home > Highlighting JAPAN > Highlighting Japan October 2018 > From Meiji to the Present: Looking Back on 150 Years of Progress UNESCO registered a collective World Heritage Site representing Japan’s Meiji industrial revolution in iron and steel shipbuilding and coal mining that includes twenty-three components spanning eight prefectures One of them—the Yawata Steel Works in Kitakyushu—is a prime example of the first successful technology transfer from the West to a non-Western nation No article or any part there of may be reproduced without the express permission of the Cabinet Office. Copyright inquiries should be made through this form Leaf KYOTO event 2023 Seowari-tsutsumi Cherry Blossom Tunnel Cherry Blossom Festival / Yawata City The Shiowari-zutsumi Cherry Blossom Festival is held in the Shiowari-zutsumi area of Yodogawa River Park located at the confluence of the Uji and Kizu Rivers About 220 Someiyoshino cherry trees are planted along a 1.4-kilometer stretch of the nature-rich riverbed creating a tunnel of cherry blossoms when they are in full bloom a cherry blossom market and Hanami Boat E-boat service will be held Leaf KYOTO Specialty products filled with the charm of Yawata City Located in the southern part of Kyoto Prefecture at the confluence of three rivers with beautiful cherry blossom-lined hills and Otokoyama Yawata City has long prospered as the town in front of Ishimizu Hachiman Shrine and is known as the place where Shokado box lunches originated It is also the birthplace of stories that have attracted worldwide attention such as Edison's success in commercializing the incandescent light bulb using bamboo from Yawata and the Flying Shrine who invented the principle of flight before the Wright Brothers did The city is also the birthplace of a story that has attracted the attention of the world specialty products that are full of Yawatara-ness such as food products that make the most of nature's bounty and handicrafts that give a sense of historical culture are certified as Yawata Brand "Yawatakara" The lineup includes luxury gourmet foods that make you want to go out of your way to visit Yawata City souvenirs that will be recognized by Kyoto connoisseurs and other items that showcase the charm of Yawata City we will introduce 16 products from among the many available Fruit Parfait Daifuku regular size 350 yen per piece large size 3996 yen for 6 pieces (large size only sold online) Hachiman Hachiman Kyoto has been loved by the locals for its signature sweets the Fruit Parfait Daifuku (Daifuku with Fruits) and a special white bean paste that melts in the mouth are softly wrapped in Shiga rice flour Enjoy the luxury of the volume as if it were wrapped in a parfait ［Yawata Hashii Mochi is located on the approach to Ishimizu Hachimangu Shrine comes from the famous water "Hashii" and is shaped like a sword in reference to the legend that a sword smith forged his famous sword at Hashii during the Heian period (794-1185) The rice cake is made of Shiga-hanaje glutinous rice and wrapped in a sweet red bean paste made from Hokkaido azuki beans cooked with coarse sugar it is perfect for a rest after visiting the shrine or as a souvenir For more than 160 years since its establishment the company has continued to make Uiro with a light flavor using the same homemade method that has been handed down from generation to generation Uiro made from freshly ground rice flour has a firm texture and the original flavor of rice spreads in each bite The store sometimes sells out in the afternoon Gokashiji Kameya Hoho offers handmade wagashi that can be enjoyed with all five senses Among a wide variety of sweets such as yokan (thick bean jelly) and ohagi (rice cakes) The richly aromatic Uji green tea (maccha green tea) is added to the raw chocolate which is moist and smooth to the touch and has a rich and mild sweetness This is a seasonal product available from fall to spring Genji's Shirohato Rusk: 600 yen for 6 pieces Jofran French Confectionery has a classic appearance and is located along the Yamanote trunk line The store's showcase is lined with exciting cakes The "Genji no Shirohato Rusk" is an original product inspired by a pigeon said to be the messenger of the Ishimizu Hachimangu Shrine The set also includes a bookmark explaining the history of the main shrine ［The set also includes a bookmark explaining the history of the main shrine Three-color Danish made by a specialty bread and Danish bread store The pink of the strawberry flavor represents the cherry blossoms and azaleas of Yawata the green of the green tea flavor represents Otokoyama and the white of the plain flavor represents the river flow of Yawata the site of the confluence of the three rivers Of course they are delicious eaten separately the exquisite gradation of flavors can be enjoyed The lovely marbled Danish will also make a great gift Strawberry ice cream - 380 yen per bag type Uesugi Noen is a popular strawberry farm where you can enjoy picking strawberries with your family or friends Uesugi Noen's ice cream has a luxurious taste with plenty of pulp The freshness is maintained by freezing freshly picked strawberries The natural sweetness of strawberries spreads in your mouth so you can choose the one that best suits your taste Matcha processed from Tencha produced in Yawata City It was named by the former mayor of Yawata City after the "Hamacha" of Kamitsuya Hamadai on both banks of the Nagare Bridge which was recognized as a constituent cultural asset of the first Japanese Heritage "800-year history walk of Japanese tea - Kyoto and Yamashiro" It can be purchased at the [Museum Shop Ominaeshi] in the museum so be sure to pick some up as souvenirs when you stop by Japanese black tea Kyoto Yamashiro black tea: 50g leaf type This gallery in the style of an old private house features Nagarehashi-yaki ceramics born in Yawata selects a variety of teas for purchase here Kyoto Yamashiro Kocha is a Japanese black tea made from Samidori a pure Japanese tea variety with a delicious flavor nurtured in the nature along the banks of the Kizu River It has a mild sweetness with a refreshing aftertaste and is delicious hot or boiled in water Additive-free strawberry jam made only with strawberries and sugar Osazen Farm is a strawberry farm where visitors can enjoy picking perfectly ripe strawberries The additive-free and colorless strawberry jam uses only ripe strawberries from their own farm and granulated sugar The smooth texture of the strawberry jam is accompanied by the fleshy texture and the gentle sweetness of the strawberries Yoshiki (Yoshiki): ¥5,100; Miyabi (Miyabi): ¥8,300 *Yoshiki is available only for lunch visited the restaurant in the early Showa period (1926-1989) he saw a four-piece box that Shojo had used and devised the idea By dividing the food into crisscross sections making it both functional and pleasing to the eye Enjoy the taste of the season from the delicacies of the mountains and the sea Asahiya's stick sushi: Hwayagi 3,132 yen per piece Located in front of Ishimizu Hachimangu Shrine Station For more than 100 years since its establishment this Japanese-style restaurant has served its famous mackerel sushi is made with high quality mackerel that has been rubbed in the Sanriku fishing grounds off the coast of Hachinohe and is particularly fatty using longtime techniques to balance the flavors of the mackerel with the right amount of salt and vinegar The rice is made from Hinohikari rice produced in Yawata (served in the restaurant for 1,320 yen per three pieces) Kyoto Tsuji Farm produces rice that has won numerous prestigious awards the farmer harvests the famous albacore bamboo shoots Bamboo shoot rice is a product that was created as a result of an appearance on the popular TV program "Manten☆Aozora Restaurant raw albacore bamboo shoots to create a rice bowl that is soft and chewy The Yawata City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Young Men's Club created this dish as a "new specialty of Yawata a ramen made with Yawata's specialty kujo leeks and bamboo shoots It is available only from late March to early May It is perfect for a hearty dinner or to finish off a night of drinking Bamboo chopstick rests: 1,650 yen per chopstick rest The one-of-a-kind glass works are carefully crafted one by one in a glass studio located at the foot of a bamboo grove in Otokoyama Chopstick rests with bamboo motifs are made by mixing glass materials and Yahata bamboo melting them in a kiln at 1,300 degrees Celsius and specially blending them with the color of Yahata's bamboo The tasteful green color reflects the glittering light and its delicacy and profundity casually add quality to the dining table Sekihara Dolls "Pray for Peace" 385,000 yen per doll who inherits the beauty and techniques of Kyoto dolls puts his heart and soul into his Sekihara dolls The dolls are made with the wish for world peace and peace in people's hearts and traditional beauty shines through in every detail dyed with specially developed Sekihara black which makes full use of traditional Japanese craftsmanship has a mysterious charm that accompanies the desire to pray for peace and soothes the heart There are many other "Yawatakara" products that are loved by the locals Check them out from the official website below and experience the unique charm of Yawata City National Report Kyoto Prefecture--Iwashimizu Hachimangu shrine here is a government-designated national treasure but it is also home to a relatively unknown monument dedicated to Thomas Edison (1847-1931) To commemorate the achievements of the great American inventor a flower-offering ceremony was held at the Edison monument on Oct three days before the 90th anniversary of his death Although there are no records of Edison actually visiting Japan a connection to this country helped him to light up the world and is said to have dropped out of elementary school after only three months Edison gained fame through his various inventions which showed moving images through a pinhole was the forerunner to the modern motion picture camera The “Wizard of Menlo Park” obtained more than 1,000 patents before he died at age 84 a Japanese assistant worked at Edison’s laboratory after Edison put an incandescent electric bulb into practical use he found the bulb had a longer life if carbonized bamboo was used for the filament The material came from the blades of a hand fan When Edison sought bamboo from around the world he was introduced to Japanese timber bamboo through the Kyoto governor at the time The bamboo was growing in an area around Mount Otokoyama where Iwashimizu Hachimangu shrine is located The success also led to the foundation of the monument at the shrine in 1934 A ceremony to celebrate his accomplishments is held on the days before and after the anniversary of his death When Edison’s daughter visited the shrine in 1964 she reportedly said she had never seen such an impressive monument in the United States 15 ceremony was attended by Hiroaki Takahashi head of the Japan Electric Association who also serves as president of an association founded to promote Edison’s achievements the shrine was asked to remove the monument because of its dedication to a national of an enemy state “The head priest and others had protected the monument saying that science had no borders,” the current head priest “We want to protect Edison’s legacy and monument to pass them down to the next generation.” Japanese wins Ig Nobel for ‘smartphone zombie’ study VOX POPULI: Card’s Nobel win lends weight to fight for higher minimum wage Rare cultural treasures in Kyoto go on public view Fall ‘flower ceiling’ a sure visitor draw to Kyoto shrine Shrine’s amulet sells out after Osaka likely had one in Australia a season celebrated in the country through various activities and Sakura-viewing parties called Hanami to carefully observe the blossoming of the flowers which begins in Okinawa from mid-January until it reaches Hokkaido around early May those looking to see the cherry blossoms can spot more than 200 trees at the the Sewari-tei riverbank and the Yodogawa Riverside Park visitors can also stop by the Iwashimizu Hachimangū shrine close by visitors in Japan can attend the Takayama Spring Festival held annually on April 15 and 16 in Takayama to observe the traditional yatai float where karakuri The Japan National Tourism Organization shares on their website how the yatai floats are “colorful and intricate decorations” that “embody skills handed down over generations” complemented by the “backdrop of the city’s historic streets lined with buildings many hundreds of years old.” visitors can visit the Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo to take a look at 120 cherry trees and twenty varieties of the trees amongst fireflies A visit to the hotel not only gives visitors access to the long anticipated cherry blossoms but also invites them to experience a peaceful stay in one of their Hideaway Garden Suites or venture through the Sea of Clouds installation where mist is released several times a day anyone opting to visiting Japan during the season can also enjoy ikebana flower arrangements foods and drinks modelled after the pale pink petals and even silk kimonos which can be seen around this time there are other flowers worth seeing like the Wisteria that fall from tunnels and domes at the Kawachi Wisteria Garden presenting a floral canvas that ranges from purple to white Another day, another set of returning characters in Yakuza: Ishin confirmed Makoto Date as Nakaoka Shintaro (voiced by Kazuhiro Yamaji) Kage the Florist as the “Mysterious Information Shop” owner (voiced by Yoshiaki Fujiwara) Yawata as Tani Sanjuro (voiced by Kenji Hamada) Yesterday, Sega confirmed Ryuuji Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without acknowledgment of Gematsu is prohibited Use of this site is governed by all applicable laws Website by 44 Bytes In a Time Where Drift and Time Attack Rule Strong, Garage Yawata Stands Tall In Its Roots. For handling, custom-valved dampers were built in-house for the GT-R, allowing the almighty power of the RB26 to be deployed efficiently, especially as it travels under full acceleration to the finish line. With single-digit time slips realized, the brakes had to be changed, and Endless was called upon for larger 6-pot front and 4-pot rear calipers. With roots that run deep in drag racing, it’s obvious to us that the Garage Yawata GT-R is a very unique car. It’s enough to make us want to find a stoplight battle of our own (but please, we encourage you to find a local and legit method instead) and light those tires up. They filled us in on a little personal mantra of theirs: style is dictated by function. It’s a bold statement if you ask us, and one that Garage Yawata can call their own. OccupationOwner, tuner and drag racer at Street Special Garage Yawata DrivetrainHKS triple-plate clutch and lightweight flywheel; OS Giken sequential gearbox Engine ManagementHKS F-Con V Pro ECU; Blitz Dual SBC boost controller Footwork & ChassisGarage Yawata custom-valved dampers BrakesEndless 6-pot front calipers & 355mm 2-piece slotted discs/Endless 4-pot rear calipers & 330mm 2-piece discs, Endless brake pads Wheels & Tires18x10" Volk Racing TE37; 265/35R18 Hankook Ventus TD ExteriorGarage Yawata front bumper, canards, wide front fenders, FRP hood, passenger side vented door, side skirts, custom wide rear fenders, FRP removable trunk lid, GT wing and custom pearl red flake paint InteriorGarage Yawata custom 7-point chromoly rollcage; Bride carbon-Kevlar bucket seat; MOMO Commando steering wheel; Blitz Dual SBC boost controller, Blitz shift knob; GReddy water temp/ oil temp/ fuel pressure/ oil pressure/ boost gauges, GReddy Multi-switching system; Nitrous Express nitrous tank; HKS Circuit Attack counter and Mixture controller; custom switch panel WWW greddy.com; mackinindustries.com (Volk Racing); more-japan.com (Bride/SARD); motovicity.com (HKS); optionsauto.com (Blitz); streetspecial.ico.bz Subscribe to our newsletters to get the latest in car news and have editor curated stories sent directly to your inbox This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Leaf KYOTO Uji green tea kuromame croquettes are now on sale at Cafe&Dining Mitoraya Uji green tea kuromame croquette 600 yen per croquette Japan ranks 116th out of 146 countries in the gender equality index and despite the progress made in the last 10 years it is still very difficult for women - amid prejudice and misogyny - to make their way in politics It is in this socio-cultural context that Shoko Kawata was elected first citizen of Yawata Kyoto (AsiaNews/Agencies) - According to the association of mayors of Japanese cities 33-year-old Shoko Kawata - former social worker and secretary of a deputy of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Kyoto prefecture - has become the youngest mayor ever of Japan after winning the elections on Sunday in Yawata supported by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and beat Ken Ogata a former member of the prefectural assembly and member of the Japan Innovation Party a former member of the assembly citizen who ran for the Japanese Communist Party Originally from Nara, Shoko Kawata worked as a social worker in Kyoto since 2015 and then followed Akiko Santo, member of the House of Councilors of the LDP governing Kyoto prefecture, as secretary. Kawata ran with one main campaign goal: to create a platform of free medical care for children up to 18 years of age The news of her victory had a national echo because Japan, despite being the third largest economy in the world, has a record gender gap. In the most recent report published by the World Economic Forum in July 2022, the Land of the Rising Sun ranked 116th out of 146 countries The growth in the presence of women in Japanese politics can be attributed to former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo who in 2013 defined women as "the least exploited resource in the country" and set the goal of increasing the number of female figures in positions of leadership Abe inserted 7 women out of 18 positions of government ministers in 2014: a record a law was approved which aims at gender equality in politics and which asks political movements to nominate 50% of male politicians and 50% women but aimed at achieving gender equality in the National Diet and local governments The first elections held after the approval of this law were the local ones in April 2019 and out of 59 municipal elections the office of mayor was won by women in six cases About 12.7% of those who participated in the elections for the prefectural assemblies were women The road to gender equality is still long but Shoko Kawata has clear ideas about her approach to city government as the youngest new mayor in Japan: “I want to empathize with people of all generations and work to create a community that can grow," he said The previous holder of the “youngest female mayor record” was Sawako Naito elected mayor of Tokushima in 2020 at the age of 36 while the youngest male mayor elected in Japan is Ryosuke Takashima appointed last April at the age of 26 in Ashiya Photo: Shoko Kawata (right) accepts a bouquet of flowers after winning the mayoral election of Yawata Subscribe to Asia News updates or change your preferences Home > News > The Prime Minister in Action > July 2014 > The Prime Minister Visits Fukuoka Prefecture Photograph of the Prime Minister test driving a fuel cell car (1) Photograph of the Prime Minister touring a hydrogen filling station Photograph of the Prime Minister test driving a fuel cell car (2) Photograph of the Prime Minister touring Yawata Steel Works (1) Photograph of the Prime Minister touring Yawata Steel Works (2) Photograph of the Prime Minister touring Yawata Steel Works (3) Photograph of the Prime Minister touring a work site employing women agricultural workers Photograph of the Prime Minister tasting egg-based products Photograph of the Prime Minister exchanging opinions with managers of venture businesses Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering an address at the ceremony to launch a parade against criminal organizations Photograph of the Prime Minister participating in the parade against criminal organizations (1) Photograph of the Prime Minister participating in the parade against criminal organizations (2) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Fukuoka Prefecture The Prime Minister first visited a hydrogen filling station and tried filling up a fuel cell car the Prime Minister test drove a fuel cell car The Prime Minister then visited Yawata Steel Works the Prime Minister toured a chicken hatchery that employs women agricultural workers and sampled egg-based products the Prime Minister exchanged opinions with managers of venture businesses at Robosquare before participating in a parade against criminal organizations held in the Nakasu district. The Prime Minister described the goal of his visit to Fukuoka Prefecture as follows, “The regional revitalization we are promoting today differs from approaches taken in the past when we sought to create completely identical regional cities Our vision now is to revitalize the regions by building unique communities with unique futures that make the most of their individual strengths The chicken hatchery I visited was run by a female president who is working hard together with members of the local community to foster value-added industries through the integration of processing and other functions, which is generating employment in the process The Government will also do its part to support efforts to pursue such ideas Fukuoka City has been designated as a National Strategic Special Zone I found that young managers of venture businesses were strongly motivated to make the most of this development and share their ideas with the rest of the world from Fukuoka I truly believe that these people are supporting the future of Japan and the Japanese economy I believe that in the future it will not just be Tokyo sharing innovative ideas with the rest of the world With regard to the commercialization of the hydrogen fuel cell car which has faced its fair share of challenges to date last year I declared that instead of dealing with individual regulations one by one we would eliminate all related restrictions in one fell swoop I was amazed at local efforts to create hydrogen filling stations using locally produced hydrogen and to make fuel cell cars a reality and spread them throughout the market This is truly an example of local production for local consumption The results of regulatory reform can already be seen and the Government will need to continue to provide solid support I believe the fuel cell car represents the environmentally-friendly car of the future because it does not emit exhaust gases or CO2.Therefore first the Government would like ministries and agencies to fully utilize fuel cell cars people in Japan will not be able to afford a fuel cell car We would like to provide a subsidy of at least 2 million yen We also plan on completing a network of more than 100 hydrogen filling stations across Japan.” By Jiro Sakaki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Kyoto — A quarter that once flourished as a red-light district in southern Kyoto Prefecture now attracts tourists from across Japan after former brothels were renovated into a ryokan Japanese-style inn and a coffee shop A woman from China who loves Japanese architecture became interested in the dilapidated houses and bought them to open them to the public These houses are symbols of a dark history for the community so local people are cautious about turning them into tourist attractions even while saying the truth should be passed on red-light districts — yukaku in Japanese — began to be created in various places across the country yukaku paid large sums of money to the shogunate the central government banned forced prostitution and human trafficking but to no avail because it did not present any aid to the women who would otherwise have lost their livelihood That was why yukaku continued to exist in Japan until 1956 when the anti-prostitution law was enacted to punish prostitution agencies and protect women Half a century after this law went into force townscapes with brothels continue to disappear It is said about 680 people were working to entertain customers from Osaka and other areas and that the money paid by the yukaku accounted for one-third of Yawata’s local tax revenues bought one of the former brothel houses that had not found a buyer was richly decorated with elegant stained glass and tiles the walls were crumbling and the ceiling was leaking Masakura renovated it and opened it as an inn the following year She then bought another former brothel nearby and turned it into a coffee shop She got the funds for this by selling her condominium in Osaka Prefecture and her house in China where many Japanese used to live before and during the war Masakura admired the Japanese architecture that remained there Unlike the concrete housing complexes where Chinese people were living the stylish wooden houses had indoor staircases “I’d envied the people who were living there,” she said Since Masakura began giving tours of her renovated buildings more than 100 tourists and researchers each month have visited the houses the townscape of the red-light district is being replaced by ordinary houses and parking lots There is little momentum among locals to preserve the old buildings A stone monument marking the site of a brothel in the district was removed during the city’s redevelopment at the request of many residents “There is no need to remind our children of the past,” a 79-year-old woman who grew up in the district said Descendants of the former brothel owners still live in the community “Some residents don’t want people to know about it.” daughters of poor families were sold to brothels The woman remembers that she could not talk about her family business when she was in junior high school She remembers asking her father many times why he began the business “I don’t like the idea of having such a history left in a tangible form.” the woman also participates in walking tours in the district and tells tourists stories of her background and how she feels about the brothels “Human trafficking used to be allowed in Japan,” she said “There were people who had no choice but to live in this way The Yawata city government is proceeding with redevelopment projects in the surrounding area but there are no plans to preserve the streetscape of the former yukaku Mayor Fumiaki Horiguchi said that the preservation will be difficult “unless the local community makes the request.” throughout Japan in the early 20th century the trend has been to demolish the buildings rather than to preserve them as part of a dark history What makes it difficult to preserve and study yukaku history Akira Ide said it is partly because there is no established opinion on the cultural heritage of these districts especially “dark tourism,” which includes visiting locations with war damage and other negative historical sites there are differences of opinion on how to view brothels and the sex industry,” Ide said “Controversy arises when you try to preserve the brothels while talking only about the superficial facts.” Ide said that people need to talk about brothels in a historical context such as why modern society required prostitutes as well as from the perspective of discrimination against women and human rights issues “The central government and specialized institutions such as universities should be involved in discussions on what to pass on to the next generation regarding the brothels and how that should be done.” Leaf KYOTO event Summer Strawberry Picking Experience" to forget the heat and be enveloped by the sweet aroma / Osazen Farm A "Summer Strawberry Picking Experience" will be held at Osazen Farm in Yawata City which is usually only available from December to June so visitors can enjoy the sweet strawberries without worrying about the heat forget about the heat outside and make some unusual memories 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 Despite the best efforts of certain individuals on Twitter lawmaker Renho became the head of the Democratic Party last Thursday those loosely linked online individuals that are sometimes referred to as netto uyo (internet right-wingers) don't really care about the DP but they were undoubtedly thrilled that the issue they raised with regard to Renho's nationality became the most important one in the campaign — at least as far as the media was concerned For that they can thank the Sankei Shimbun and its affiliates, particularly tabloid Yukan Fuji, which lead the anti-Renho chorus on a daily basis. The choir master was former bureaucrat Kazuro Yawata, who posted an essay on the blog platform Agora claiming that Renho — whose father is Taiwanese and whose mother is Japanese — never renounced her Taiwanese nationality and thus holds dual citizenship A Sankei reporter who attended the DP presidential candidate press conference asked Renho about this discrepancy and all hell broke loose.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Trying to prevent the clamor from intensifying Renho hot-footed it to Taiwan's representative office in Tokyo to confirm the renunciation of her Taiwanese nationality She was under the impression her father had already done that when she obtained Japanese citizenship in 1985 On Tuesday she found out she still "retained" Taiwanese nationality She is now in the process of renouncing it but in any case her enemies were able to claim that Yawata's "suspicions" had been verified we’ve seen many original anime shows from Japan released on Disney+ around the world including “The Fable” and “Sand Land: The Series.” Disney has been continuing to grow its library of international originals Recently, Takuto Yawata, head of Japanese animation at Disney+, took part in an interview and explained (translated) the Star brand opened and we tried to refocus on Japanese content including not only anime but also live-action. Nowadays Japanese anime is aimed at a limited fan base It is a completely different genre and is leading the way in Japanese entertainment Our service delivers works that can be enjoyed by both men and women I’m hoping for a high level of engagement but I think it’s a genre that can be enjoyed by a wide range of people.” Audiences around the world are now embracing global originals; it’s clear that Disney has embraced that there is a market for anime and it’s also a medium that travels very well but generations have grown up watching popular Japanese shows like “Pokemon”. Takuto Yawata went onto explain: “There is no doubt that it has undergone a huge change from 10 years ago.Japanese anime is now entering a golden age.The size of the market has exceeded three trillion yen and continues to reach new highs things have changed from being aimed at a limited number of fans.” The success of streaming services is also having a big impact on how anime continues to grow in popularity especially with global distribution releases as many of Disney’s anime shows are released globally across Disney+ and on Hulu in the United States. Takuto also explained how this has made a huge difference on shows like “Sand Land: The Series” A notable example is “Sand Land: The Series,” 　which recently started distribution and is gaining popularity all over the world it has received a particularly strong response in Japan but it is possible that it will be on par with that We’ve received positive comments from people all over the world We’re receiving comments from people all over the world saying it was interesting and it’s hard to say which region is doing particularly well So we focused on storytelling in a way that would be popular in North America and we as creators were also conscious of the fact that it was popular in Japan you can enjoy the same fun and excitement at the same time no matter where you are Japanese anime has become so common around the world that I thought it was only for Japan it has become accepted in every region.I think the market is mature enough now One of the many reasons why anime continues to grow is that its stories are very close to Disney’s own history with animation but there may be a shift toward adopting more acceptable expressions expressions that do not hurt or mislead people are a given but perhaps an evolution… Now that we’re distributing to a larger market with a service that can be viewed by adults and children at any time Disney is still very selective about the anime it picks for a global release on Disney+ since it wants projects that appeal to as wide a base as possible if upcoming new releases continue to become more popular Roger’s POV: With the globalisation of original content becoming more common it makes complete sense for Disney to take advantage of popular genres and it’s become very clear that Korean dramas and Japanese anime are two of the leading types of international content that audiences around the world are enjoying. Having local content that also performs well globally is the perfect result for any streaming service What do you think about Disney’s anime plans? Let me know on social media!