A short (3-5 min.) English language news brief; stories from in and around Japan.
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theTokyoBill Japan news brief
theTokyoBill Japan news brief, September 23 2024
[Music] Welcome to the Tokyo Bille, a short news brief on recent events in and around Japan. [Music] Japan has several cat islands, including Aoshima off the coast of Aheme Prefecture, known for its large stray cat population. The island has been spaying and neutering cats due to their high numbers and aging human residents. A 73-year-old resident, known as Catmama, looks after the cats and ensures they are fed. With declining tourist numbers and aging cats, the future of cat island is uncertain. Currently, there are only five residents and concerns are raised about the island's livability and ferry service. Despite efforts to care for the cats, the island's reputation as a cat island is expected to come to an end within the next two years, so any potential visitors are encouraged to visit before all residents, human, and feline, are gone. Unprecedented rainfall in Noto, Aishikawa Prefecture, has led to one fatality, six missing individuals, and widespread damage. A heavy rain warning caused over 120 millimeters of rain per hour in Ojima, triggering landslides, river flooding, and power outages. Three workers are missing after a landslide at a construction site hit by a previous earthquake. The region, recovering from a recent earthquake, also experienced flooding in temporary housing complexes. Japan's weather agency warned of further landslides in flooding in other regions due to warm humid air interacting with a low pressure system. Videos captured the devastation showing houses being swept away by muddy water. Japan's finance ministry plans to release commemorative gold coins worth 10,000 yen for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, priced at 268,000 yen each due to the rising cost of gold. The coins will also include 1,000 yen silver coins and 500 yen coins. The 10,000 yen design features the Expo's official character, Yakum Yaku, and the Japan Pavilion. Limited sets containing all five coins will be sold for 344,000 yen, with orders starting in March. A lottery will be held if demand exceeds the available sets. Three white tiger cubs were introduced to the media at Izu Animal Kingdom in Shizuoka Prefecture, just six days after their birth. The sex of the triplets is not yet known, but they are all healthy and growing, measuring between 25 and 30 centimeters in length and weighing between 900 and 1600 grams. Their mother, Shiroku, has raised five cubs previously, while the father has now fathered eight offspring. The white tigers are a rare variation of the Bengal tiger, with 13 born at the zoo since 2010. The cubs will be named by the public and make their official debut on October 14. The Japanese research team discovered protein variants that increased during exercise and ate in fat burning, potentially paving the way for a new weight loss drug without the need for dieting. The team study confirmed that different versions of the PGC1A protein are produced in skeletal muscle during exercise, leading to increased energy expenditure. The mice lacking these variants showed impaired energy expenditure and developed obesity, while the production of these variants in humans varied individually, affecting weight loss even with the same exercise routine. This research could lead to the development of new drugs that target these protein variants to combat obesity-related illnesses. The findings are published in the journal Molecular Metabolism. This has been the Tokyo Bill. These stories and more you can read at thetokobill.com. I've been Andrew Maine, Tokyo Bill. Thank you for listening and take care. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)
In this episode: Cat Island soon to lack people…and cats; Noto rainfall causes havoc; Mint to issue Osaka World Expo commemorative coins; White tiger cubs born in Izu zoo; Japan researchers discover weight-loss causing proteins