News

Tomoko Yoshino, president of Rengo, urged the LDP to pass legislation allowing married couples to have separate surnames during the current Diet session. Yoshino's remarks were met with surprise by some party members opposed to allowing separate surnames, but lawmakers who support the change noted that the issue is now in the spotlight.

A major coral bleaching event this summer killed 61.2% of corals off Amami-Oshima island, mirroring the devastation of 1998. While the impact was severe in bays and reefs, researchers remain optimistic about the corals' ability to recover due to minimal impact on deeper water corals and the absence of crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.

Indoor plant factories are gaining popularity in urban areas like Tokyo, offering a sustainable and reliable source of fresh produce regardless of weather conditions. These controlled environments allow for precise regulation of lighting and temperature, ensuring optimal growth conditions for various crops.

NASA's Osiris-Rex mission has returned with asteroid samples containing the building blocks of life and evidence of an ancient water world, suggesting asteroids may have played a crucial role in bringing the ingredients for life to Earth. The findings strengthen the theory that the processes leading to life may have occurred much earlier and been more widespread than previously thought.

Russia has permanently banned nine Japanese citizens from entering the country in retaliation for Japan's sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict. This follows similar measures taken against other countries, including the U.S. and Canada, in response to their opposition to Russia's military actions.