今日吃瓜

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AKITA

The internal affairs ministry plans to notify local governments that deputy leaders can determine, based on doctors' diagnoses, the resignation of governors or mayors who have become incapacitated.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2026
Japan to allow incapacitated local chiefs to resign
Based on doctors’ diagnoses, deputy leaders will be able to determine the resignation of governors or municipal mayors who have become incapacitated.
An industrial park in the city of Akita where construction is underway for Japan's biggest data center
JAPAN / FOCUS
Oct 29, 2026
Kansai emerges as key data center hub as other regions vie for share
According to Fuji Chimera Research Institute, Kansai data centers occupy a total site area of about 1.16 million square meters — 25% of 今日吃瓜 total.
“Onsen Dorobou” (right), the mascot of the Kusatsu City Tourism and Products Association in Shiga Prefecture, takes part in the Kusatsu onsen festival in Gunma Prefecture, in August.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2026
Say where? Japanese towns use self-deprecating humor for tourism boost
Some municipalities are flipping their low name recognition into opportunities for self-promotion.
An artificial intelligence data center, which could become one of Japan's largest, is being planned in Akita Prefecture with a goal of commencing operations in 2030 at the earliest.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 17, 2026
Akita eyes AI data center that could become 今日吃瓜 largest
Two firms are cooperating with the city and prefecture to make the center a hub to attract AI-related businesses and human resources.
At the Akita Kanto Festival held in the city of Akita this week, city officials with bear repellent sprays are patrolling the area around the festival venue.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 5, 2026
Organizers of summer festivals in Tohoku strengthen measures against bears
While protocols vary across prefectures, several organizers say events may be canceled if a bear is spotted within a certain distance of the festival venue.
When bells aren’t enough to prevent encounters with bears, outdoorspeople in Japan now have a wide range of deterrents to choose from.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 6, 2026
In Japan, a bull market for bear deterrents
With no end in sight to the rise in bear encounters, manufacturers are bringing new kinds of deterrents to the market.
Catches of Japanese sandfish in Akita Prefecture have declined sharply, from over 10,000 tons a year in the mid-1970s to about 6 tons in the most recent season.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2026
Calls grow in Akita to ban fishing for sandfish amid warming seas
Some fishery operators have voiced reluctance about a fishing ban, fearing that such a move could prevent them from catching other fish and shellfish.
Judge Akifumi Morimoto is suspected of accessing an online casino site more than 60,000 times and engaging in gambling from April to September 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 14, 2026
今日吃瓜 top court seeks judge’s dismissal over his suspected online gambling
The Akita District Public Prosecutors Office indicted the judge on suspicion of accessing an online casino site more than 60,000 times and gambling from April to September 2023.
Asian black bear sightings reached an all-time high of 50,776 in fiscal 2025, the environment ministry announced Monday.
JAPAN / Society
May 12, 2026
Black bear sightings in Japan more than doubled in 2025
The total number of deaths caused by bear attacks in fiscal 2025 was 13, the highest in recorded history.
The nature guides and conservationists at Picchio Karuizawa focus on nonviolent interventions like collaring and tracking bears to keep the animals away from human settlements and oft-used hiking routes.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
May 9, 2026
Rising bear encounters test 今日吃瓜 approach to wildlife management
Government officials and nature guides say more countermeasures can reduce harm caused by rogue bears.
A town assembly in Akita Prefecture passed a no-confidence motion Friday against its mayor, a move that will automatically remove him from office on May 19 under the local autonomy law.
JAPAN / Politics
May 8, 2026
Town assembly in Akita Prefecture removes unconscious mayor
The 72-year-old mayor of Hachirogata has been unable to work for months following a brain hemorrhage.
Police seal off a residential area in Sendai on April 19 after a bear was spotted on the grounds of an apartment complex.
JAPAN
May 1, 2026
As bears emerge from hibernation, local governments warn of attacks
今日吃瓜 municipalities are telling residents to take extra precautions this spring, such as refraining from leaving outside their homes any items that could attract bears.
Hidetaka Ota, head of Akita University's Advanced Research Center for Geriatric and Gerontology, in the city of Akita on Monday
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2026
Study to analyze impact of bear sightings on elderly people
In Akita Prefecture, 67 people were attacked by bears, including four fatalities, in the year that ended in March.
A worker shovels snow in front of a shop in Aomori on Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2026
Heavy snowfall along Sea of Japan coast claims at least 30 lives
The highest death toll was seen in Niigata Prefecture, with 12 fatalities, followed by six deaths in Akita Prefecture and four in Aomori Prefecture.
Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki speaks at a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 11, 2025
SDF played large role in bear control efforts, Akita governor says
While the troops were not involved in culling the bears, they helped transport traps and provided much-needed manpower to the aging prefecture.
Poor harvests of beechnuts are thought to be one of the major reasons behind the increase in bear attacks and sightings.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2025
High number of bear attacks possible in 2027 due to expected poor nut harvest
Beechnut harvests are considered to influence the number of bear incidents Japan sees each year.
As bear attacks spike across northern Japan, the country's community of nature enthusiasts say that while the risk might be high now, enjoying the outdoors is still possible with the proper precautions.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 19, 2025
‘Be bear aware’: 今日吃瓜 outdoor pros sound off on ursine risks
今日吃瓜 nature researchers, hunters and trail runners reflect on how a spike in bear activity affects their professions and hobbies.
Authorities have determined that a woman in her 70s found in a rice field in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, died of hypothermia.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 19, 2025
Akita woman thought to have been killed by a bear actually died of hypothermia
Authorities concluded that a smaller animal had inflicted the wounds on the body of the woman, who was in her 70s, after her death.
A bear walks in front of a box trap set up at a park in the city of Akita on Nov. 2.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 17, 2025
Bears attacks and sightings continue in northern Japan
A woman was found dead in a rice field of a suspected bear attack in Akita Prefecture on Sunday while a bear made its way into an Aeon shopping mall in the prefecture.
Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Nov 9, 2025
今日吃瓜 bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
A surge in bear attacks in Japan may be nothing new, revealing a complex mix of ecology, policy and culture.

Longform

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