Friday 1is
The Bank of Japan has published its survey tankan (short-term business survey) for the month of March 2022: the diffusion index, which represents business confidence, fell among large companies in the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors, ending a series of six quarters of improvement.
The government has decided to welcome Ukrainian refugees to Japanese territory by providing them with temporary accommodation and financial assistance to cover their daily and medical needs.
Sunday 3
The Hanshin Tigers baseball team has chained nine consecutive defeats since the start of the Central League season, the worst result for a team playing at the highest level of Japanese baseball.
Monday 4
The Tokyo Stock Exchange has launched a reform of the segmentation of its market, going from four to three segments: Prime, Standard and Growth. This is the first large-scale reorganization of the Tokyo market in nearly 60 years.
Mardi 5
A group of 20 Ukrainian refugees arrived at Haneda airport from Poland. Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, who was visiting the country, provided them with a Japanese government plane.
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Thursday 7
Abiko Motoo (pen name Fujiko A. Fujio), of famous mangaka duo Fujiko Fujio, has died at the age of 88. He is known for works such as Ninja Hattori-kun, Kaibutsu-kunor Pro Golfer Saru.
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With mangaka Fujiko A. Fujio, October 18, 2018 (Jiji Press)
Prime Minister Kishida announced the release of 15 million barrels of oil from Japan’s reserves, in coordination with the International Energy Agency (IEA). It is Japan’s largest release of oil, as well as the first ever time it has come from its national reserves, set up in 1978.
Friday 8
Prime Minister Kishida announced five additional economic sanctions against Russia, including the banning of coal imports.
Saturday 9
Japan and the Philippines held their first “two plus two” talks in Tokyo, involving the two countries’ foreign and defense ministers. In a joint statement, they claimed that the situation in Ukraine was “a serious violation of international law”.
Sunday 10
Chiba Lotte Marines baseball player Sasaki Rōki pitched a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes, the first in 28 years in Japan. Aged only 20 years and 5 months, he is the youngest player in history to accomplish this feat. He tied the Nippon Professional Baseball record for 19 strikeouts in a single game, and also managed to strike out a record 13 consecutive batters.
Mardi 12
French justice sentenced Chilean Nicolas Zepeda Contreras to 28 years in prison for the murder of his former Japanese girlfriend Kurosaki Narumi, in Besançon in December 2016. The body of the 21-year-old victim had never been found. .
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Kyoto University Hospital has announced a successful lung transplant between two people with different blood types. This operation, which took place in February, is a world first.
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The Bank of Japan reported that the Business Goods Price Index (CGPI) was 112.0 for the month of March, up 9.5% from a year ago. The surge in the price of oil contributed to this significant increase, similar to the record increase in February. The index had never been so high for more than 39 years.
Wednesday 13
The yen fell to its lowest level against the dollar in nearly 20 years, with the dollar trading for 126 yen. On April 20, it fell again to 129 yen, and on April 28 to 130 yen following the BOJ’s announcement that it would maintain its ultra-accommodating monetary policy.
Thursday 14
The Shinkansen Tohoku line has been put back into service between Fukushima and Sendai stations, 29 days after the section was closed following damage caused by a major earthquake.
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JR East employees announcing the full resumption of Shinkansen Tohoku Line services, April 14, 2022. (Jiji Press)
Friday 15
The Asahikawa City Board of Education in Hokkaido has admitted that Hirose Saaya, a 14-year-old middle school student who was found frozen to death last March, had been bullied.
Monday 18
The Osaka High Court upheld the lower court’s decision to sentence former Moritomo school principal Gakuen Kagoike Yasunori to five years in prison for grant fraud in the Moritomo case. As for his wife Kagoike Junko, the High Court reviewed the initial judgment of three years in prison with a five-year reprieve, giving her a sentence of two years and six months in prison. Both defendants appealed the decision the same day.
Death of the dean of Japanese humanity, sexist remarks and sinking of a tourist boat
Mardi 19
The doyenne of humanity Tanaka Kane died at the age of 119 in a hospital in Fukuoka, in the south-west of Japan.
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The government has announced a ban on imports of 38 products of Russian origin, including wood and vodka. This is the first time that Japan has imposed economic sanctions on Russian imports.
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The fast food giant Yoshinoya Holdings announced the dismissal on April 18 of one of its leaders, Itô Masaaki, for having made remarks deemed misogynistic. At a conference, Itô had described the company’s marketing strategies as aimed at “getting addicted to our dishes women who have never been paid for a restaurant by a man”.
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The Ministry of Health has approved the use of the vaccine developed by the American biopharmaceutical group Novavax. It is therefore the fourth vaccine available on the Archipelago. Unlike conventional vaccines or messenger RNA, that of Novavax is said to be “recombinant protein”.
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Wednesday 20
The Ministry of Finance released preliminary trade statistics for fiscal year 2021, showing a trade deficit of 5,374 billion yen (38.9 billion euros), following a trade surplus of 1,161 billion yen (8 .4 billion euros) during the previous financial year.
As part of the sanctions against Russia, the House of Councilors passed a revision of the Interim Tariff Measures Law, which removes the reduced tax rates applied to Russian fish, seafood and timber.
Eight Russian diplomats and officials left Japan after a deportation order was issued earlier this month.
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A research center on photo-immunotherapy, also called the “fifth cancer treatment”, was inaugurated in the city of Hirakata, Osaka prefecture.
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Thursday 21
Prince Fumihito, the younger brother of the Emperor of Japan, and his wife Princess Kiko went to Ise Shrine to solemnly announce to the gods the end of the “Rikkoshi no rei”.
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Friday 22
The X Games started in Chiba. This is the first time Japan has hosted the extreme sports competition, until April 24. On the last day, skatebordeur Horigome Yûto, Olympic gold medalist, took first place in street for the second time in his career.
April 22, 2022 marks the 25e anniversary of the end of the hostage crisis at the residence of the Japanese ambassador to Peru.
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The Nanterre public prosecutor’s office has announced that it has issued an international arrest warrant against Carlos Ghosn for misuse of corporate assets and money laundering. The former boss of Renault-Nissan is suspected of having transferred several million dollars to the distributor of the French car manufacturer in Oman, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA), to then use this sum for his personal benefit, in particular to buy a yacht.
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Saturday 23
The ‘Kazu One’, a 19-ton tourist boat that was plying the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, reported to the Japanese Coast Guard that it was sinking before contact was lost. As of April 28, 14 people have been confirmed dead among the 26 crew members and passengers on board, which also included children (as of May 11, the search for the other 12 bodies is still ongoing).
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The Fisheries Agency has announced that it has reached an agreement with Russia on a salmon and trout fishing quota in its exclusive economic zone. The quota, set at 2,050 tonnes, is identical to that of 2021.
Monday 25
Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa met with a South Korean delegation sent by newly elected President Yoon Seok-youl. The delegation later claimed to have agreed with its Japanese counterparts to “maintain and strengthen close cooperation with a neighboring country that shares common future challenges”.
Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa (second from right) speaks with members of a South Korean delegation sent by newly elected President Yoon Seok-youl, April 25, 2022. (Jiji Press)
Mardi 26
The Department of Health, Labor and Welfare announced that the average job application to supply ratio in fiscal year 2021 was 1.16 (an average of 1.16 offers per job seeker). employment), which represents an increase of 0.06 points and the first improvement in 3 years.
According to a labor force survey released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the unemployment rate in fiscal 2021 fell 0.1 points to 2.8%, improving for the first time in two years.
As part of the emergency measures to combat rising prices, the government announced a package of emergency aid amounting to 13.2 trillion yen (96 billion euros), including 6.2 trillion of yen (45 billion euros) in grants. In order to curb gasoline prices, the government will increase until the end of September 2022 the amount of subsidies granted to petroleum distributors.
Retired Emperor Akihito and Retired Empress Michiko, parents of the current ruler, have moved into their new residence at Sentō-gosho Palace in Minato Ward, Tokyo.
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Friday 29
The wreck of the “Kazu One”, missing since April 23, was found on the seabed off the Shiretoko Peninsula.
(Headline photo: Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Sasaki Rōki, after playing a perfect game, at Chiba Marine Stadium, April 10, 2022. Kyōdō)
