Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on May 7th, 2024. In Urahoro Town, Hokkaido, a joint training exercise was conducted by the police and local authorities after a bear sighting was simulated at a middle school. This comes as bear sightings have been increasing in various parts of Hokkaido.

In Fukushima, the owner of a bird shop and several others were arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police on suspicion of violating the Wildlife Protection Act. They were illegally selling birds such as Japanese white-eyes that were poached by regular customers and keeping them in a hidden room at the back of the shop.

Moving on to Okinawa, four Chinese Coast Guard ships entered Japanese territorial waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands. The Japan Coast Guard issued warnings and continues to monitor the situation.

The Minister of the Environment, Ito, plans to personally apologize to a group of Minamata disease patients. During a discussion with the group after a memorial ceremony in Kumamoto, an employee of the Ministry of the Environment abruptly cut off the microphone, prompting Ito to express deep apologies and announce his intention to visit the site and apologize in person.

In Gifu, it has been revealed that the Vice Chairman of the Mino-Kamo City Council acted inappropriately towards the daughter of the Mayor of Dabo, a sister city in Australia. During a welcome party, he made inappropriate gestures with a karaoke microphone towards the mayor’s daughter.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare estimates that by 2040, the number of elderly people with dementia will exceed 5.84 million. This accounts for approximately 15% of the elderly population, or about one in every 6.7 people. With an expected increase in elderly people living alone and limited family support, experts highlight the challenge of providing community-based care.

In Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, a long-established ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) is facing difficulties reopening due to prolonged damage from the Noto Peninsula earthquake. However, efforts are being made to utilize the newly formed coastline as a potential tourist attraction. And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, the weather will be partly cloudy with a maximum temperature of 19°C and a minimum temperature of 13°C. There is a 64% chance of rain. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.

News sources (Japanese)

• 北海道 浦幌町“中学校にクマ出没”想定 警察や町など合同訓練
• 隠し部屋で野鳥を違法に飼育販売か 小鳥店の経営者ら逮捕 福島
• 沖縄 尖閣沖 中国海警局の船4隻が領海侵入 海保が警告と監視
• 伊藤環境相「深くおわび」 水俣病患者団体に現地で直接謝罪へ
• 美濃加茂市議会の副議長 豪 ダボ市長の娘に不適切な行為 岐阜
• 認知症の高齢者 2040年に推計584万人余 どう支えるか課題
• 石川 珠洲 老舗旅館 再開めど立たずも隆起した海岸の活用検討

Audio read by 'Rachel' from ElevenLabs