Overview
- Kochi City revealed it had budgeted about ¥1.68 million since 1999 for a voluntary city council tourism group, and the group has decided to refuse future subsidies while the mayor said the practice will be reviewed.
- Tokyo police filed documents with prosecutors against a former Takaki director on suspicion of selling 102 Yoshida 'Porter' backpacks without authorization and falsifying internal records to cover the sales.
- Hamanaka town councilor Takashi Watanabe said he will resign after acknowledging he violated a local rule banning boats from approaching wild sea otters to protect the animals and their habitat.
- A Fukuoka junior high school case over a teacher’s abusive remarks moved toward settlement after the teacher issued a formal apology and the student’s family agreed to drop their compensation claim, a compromise approved by the city council.
- Schools and communities are adjusting operationally and emotionally as public education shifts from PC labs to personal tablets and officials continue searches and memorials more than 15 years after the 2011 quake, underscoring lasting recovery work and changing local services.