Tokushima woman on zero-waste quest gets an audience with Davos
With leaders from around the world as her audience, a young Japanese woman from Kamikatsu, Tokushima Prefecture, spoke about her small town's "zero waste" initiatives, urging the globally influential audience to act to change society. "Our population is only 1,500, and more than half is ...
Monument to chief of WWI POW camp, known for humanitarian treatment of POWs, unveiled in Fukushima
A monument commemorating the Japanese head of a World War I camp who was known for his humanitarian treatment of German prisoners of war was unveiled in his hometown of Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, on Saturday. During his tenure as head of the Bando Furyo Shuyojo ...
Rampant bribery in Tokushima sheds light on rise on Japan's uncontested elections
Common sense might tell you that, as small towns and villages in Japan face aging and declining populations, they would do whatever they could to encourage their remaining residents to run for a seat on the council when election time comes. But in the town ...
Tokushima and e-book firm tap AI in experiment to summarize governor's briefings
The Tokushima Prefectural Government and e-book distributor Media Do Holdings Co. have announced the launch of an experiment using artificial intelligence to summarize the prefectural governor's news conferences. The plan, announced Tuesday, is part of a bid make more administrative documents available online more quickly. In ...
Short-term rentals can help promote rural tourism, but few are willing to open their doors
Amid an influx of tourists from home and abroad in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, local governments are trying to persuade homeowners unwilling to put up with strangers to open their doors. In August, the city of Tokushima in Shikoku, where the annual ...
Two dead, 10 injured on Shikoku after truck rams bus filled with students
Two people died and over 10 were injured Friday in Tokushima Prefecture when a truck rammed a stranded minibus filled with high school students, police said. The impact killed the male bus driver, a female passenger, and injured 10 of the 14 other occupants, most ...
As part of experiment, Consumer Affairs Agency transfers office from Tokyo to Tokushima
As part of the government's drive to relocate some of its Tokyo-centric functions to other cities to promote regional revitalization, the Consumer Affairs Agency inaugurated a new office in Tokushima Prefecture on Monday. The office, set up in the Tokushima Prefectural Government building, will deal ...
Kawasaki K-1 kickboxer rescues men trapped after fiery head-on crash in Tokushima
A K-1 kickboxer rescued two men who became trapped after their vehicles collided in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, the police said. According to the police, K-1 fighter Kosuke Komiyama, 30, who operates a gym in Kawasaki, was passing by when a car and a truck collided ...
A former mayor of Mima, Tokushima Prefecture, was sentenced Wednesday to 4½ years in prison for a car crash that killed three people a year ago. The Tokushima District Court handed down the sentence to Hisashi Makita, 75, who was the mayor at the time ...
Rare white stork likely hatched in wild, conservation group says
An organization promoting the revival of the Oriental White Stork, which went extinct in Japan almost half a century ago, said at least one egg laid by a nesting female has apparently hatched in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture. The hatching would be the first outside a ...
Millennial movers revive Japanese mountain towns amid depopulation
High-speed broadband. An award-winning brewpub built with recycled materials as part of a "zero waste" mission. An artist-in-residence program. Organic pizza from a wood-fired oven. There is new life in the mountains of Tokushima Prefecture, in the neighboring towns of Kamiyama and Kamikatsu, even as ...
Japan turns to drones to help elderly hunters combat crop-damaging pests
In another downside to rapidly graying Japan, the nation's active hunters — in decline and aging — are having a hard time keeping up with their hunting dogs that dash after their prey. That's a big headache for prefectural governments nationwide that need hunters to ...
