Overview
- Tokyo University published a report on Okinawa-origin human bones in its custody that acknowledges lost records from the Great Kanto Earthquake and wartime damage but offers no apology or roadmap for repatriation.
- Opponents of the Futenma relocation demonstrated at sea near Henoko as the project nears seven years since initial fill on the south side and after authorities began new fill work on Oura Bay’s east side in recent weeks.
- The Japan Meteorological Agency’s first-ever Hokkaido–Sanriku offshore aftershock caution remains in effect for 182 municipalities after a series of quakes, including a magnitude felt at upper 4 and a brief tsunami advisory on December 12.
- Hong Kong’s Phoenix Television reported that Chinese and Russian bombers flew routes on December 9 described as encircling the Ryukyus as a warning to Japan, a claim carried by Japanese outlets and presented as developing.
- Year-end talks on the biennial medical fee revision continue, with the health ministry seeking a larger base increase and the finance ministry emphasizing optimization ahead of a decision within December.