ILEA000661052: Health minister apologizes to victims for hepatitis C infections

Japan's real wages down for 24th straight month

STORY: Japan's real wages down for 24th straight month SHOOTING TIME: May 4, 2024 DATELINE: May 10, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:35 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of street views in Tokyo STORYLINE: Japan's average monthly wages in inflation-adjusted terms logged the 24th straight month of decline in March, marking the longest period of continuous wage decline since comparable statistics began in 1991, official data showed on Thursday. Inflation-adjusted real wages, a barometer of consumer purchasing power, fell 2.5 percent from the same month last year, larger than the 1.8 percent fall in February, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Nominal monthly earnings, including base pay and overtime, rose 0.6 percent from a year ago to reach 301,193 yen (about 1,932.5 U.S. dollars). Regular pay including basic salary in March went up 1.7 percent year on year, while overtime pay, a gauge of business activity, went down 1.5 percent. Special payment including bonuses f

Japan's real wages shrink for 23rd straight month

STORY: Japan's real wages shrink for 23rd straight month SHOOTING TIME: file DATELINE: April 9, 2024 LENGTH: 00:00:41 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of street views in Tokyo 2. various of supermarkets in Tokyo 3. various of street views in Tokyo STORYLINE: Japan's average monthly wages in inflation-adjusted terms logged the 23rd straight month of decline in February as price increases continued to outpace nominal earnings growth, official data showed on Monday. Inflation-adjusted real wages, a barometer of consumer purchasing power, fell 1.3 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Nominal monthly earnings, including base pay and overtime, rose 1.8 percent from a year ago to reach 282,265 yen (about 1,859.8 U.S. dollars). Regular pay including basic salary in February went up 2.0 percent year on year, while overtime pay, a gauge of business activity, went down 1.0 percent. Meanwhile, the consumer price index exclu

Japan's Kobayashi Pharma factory inspected amid supplement health scare

STORY: Japan's Kobayashi Pharma factory inspected amid supplement health scare SHOOTING TIME: March 29, 2024 DATELINE: March 31, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:28 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's headquarters in the city of Osaka 2. various of the recalled three products containing Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's beni-koji 3. various of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's products in Japan's drugstores STORYLINE: Japan's health ministry and local authorities on Saturday inspected the Osaka factory of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical following reports of deaths and hospitalizations possibly linked to its dietary supplements containing red yeast rice, known as "beni-koji." The factory in western Japan, which was making the ingredients of the product named Beni-koji Choleste Help, a type of granules advertised with the effect of lowering LDL cholesterol levels, shut down in December. However, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Osaka city government decided to carry out

Japanese rally outside PM residence to protest relaxed arms export control

STORY: Japanese rally outside PM residence to protest relaxed arms export control SHOOTING TIME: March 26, 2024 DATELINE: March 27, 2024 LENGTH: 00:032:48 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Japanese citizens protesting in front of the Japanese prime minister's residence 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Japanese): MIZUHO FUKUSHIMA, Head of the Social Democratic Party of Japan 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Japanese): KOJI SUGIHARA, Representative of a local citizen's group named Network Against Japan Arms Trade STORYLINE: Many Japanese protesters, amid heavy rainfall, gathered on Tuesday in front of the prime minister's residence to rally against the government's eased defense equipment transfer rules and further relaxation of arms export control. Seen as a significant defense policy shift and another step contrary to the country's pacifist constitution, the Japanese government decided at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to lift the ban on exporting the next-generation fighter jets set to be jointly developed with

Death toll climbs after Japan quake, self-defense forces dispatched

STORY: Death toll climbs after Japan quake, self-defense forces dispatched SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 1-2, 2024 DATELINE: Jan. 2, 2024 LENGTH: 00:00:00 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): ZHANG XIAOYU, Xinhua correspondent 2. various of scenes of the earthquake STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): ZHANG XIAOYU, Xinhua correspondent "The death toll has been climbing after a series of powerful earthquakes hit the area in central Japan and the vicinity. A series of building collapses and fires left dozens of people dead in the most-hit Ishikawa prefecture. As more damage reports and information about people trapped continued to come in regarding other municipalities, injuries were reported in Niigata, Toyama, Fukui and Gifu prefectures due to collapsed or damaged buildings. Calling the rescue of those impacted by the earthquakes a battle against time, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the government has already dispatched a number of self-defense force troops to the impacted ar

Death toll rises to 20 in powerful Japan quake

STORY: Death toll rises to 20 in powerful Japan quake SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 1, 2024 DATELINE: Jan. 2, 2024 LENGTH: 00:00:50 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): ZHANG YIYI, Xinhua correspondent 2. various of scenes of the earthquake STORYLINE: STANDUP: ZHANG YIYI, Xinhua correspondent "At least 20 people were confirmed dead in Ishikawa prefecture after a massive earthquake hit the area in central Japan and the vicinity, the national news agency Kyodo reported on Tuesday, citing local authorities. Calling the rescue of those impacted by the earthquakes a battle against time, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the government has already dispatched a number of self-defense force troops to the impacted areas and will continue to provide assistance. A series of strong earthquakes, with major ones of up to a preliminary 7.6 magnitude, hit on Monday at a shallow depth on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture. The Japan Meteorological Agency has officially named i

Japan OKs FY 2024 budget, defense spending reaches new high

STORY: Japan OKs FY 2024 budget, defense spending reaches new high SHOOTING TIME: Earlier footage DATELINE: Dec. 24, 2023 LENGTH: 0:01:48 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of cities in Japan 2. various of Japanese military exercises 3. various of Okinawa Self-Defense Force Military Base (taken on November 27 and 28, 2023) STORYLINE: The Japanese government on Friday adopted a draft budget of 112.07 trillion yen (about 787 billion U.S. dollars) for fiscal year 2024, with defense spending hitting an all-time high for the 10th straight year. The figure approved by the cabinet for the fiscal period from April 2024 to March 2025 marked the first drop in 12 years amid shrinking emergency funding related to COVID-19. The budget, although smaller than the record 114.38 trillion yen allocated for the current business year to March, is still the second-largest, underscoring the urgency for debt-ridden Japan to rein in spending and restore its fiscal health, national news agency Kyodo reported

Japan's fertility rate drops for 7th straight year

STORY: Japan's fertility rate drops for 7th straight year DATELINE: June 3, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:49 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of children in Japan STORYLINE: Japan's fertility fell to a record low of 1.26 in 2022, declining for the seventh consecutive year, government data showed Friday. According to data released by the health ministry, the average number of children born per woman during her lifetime was 1.26 last year, down 0.05 points from the final figure for 2021 and on par with a record low marked in 2005. By prefecture, Tokyo had the lowest fertility rate at 1.04, followed by Miyagi at 1.09 and Hokkaido at 1.12, while Okinawa reported the highest fertility rate at 1.70, followed by 1.63 in Miyazaki and 1.6 in Tottori. The number of babies born in 2022 was also a record low at 770,747, down 40,875 from the year before, marking the first time the number dipped below 800,000. The latest statistics come a day after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida released a draft

Japan's real wages drop for 12th straight month in March

STORY: Japan's real wages drop for 12th straight month in March DATELINE: May 9, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:51 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of street views of Tokyo STORYLINE: Real wages in Japan declined for a 12th straight month in March from a year earlier, leading to households spending less as a result of rising inflation, the government said in a report on Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, nominal wages including base and overtime pay rose 0.8 percent to an average of 291,081 yen (2,100 U.S. dollars). The 0.8 percent increase in yen terms marks the 15th consecutive month of increase, although the monthly rise has remained below the 1 percent threshold for a third straight month, the data showed. The government said in a separate report Tuesday that household spending decreased in March from a year earlier. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said household spending in the reporting period fell 1.9 percent from a year ear

Japan's unemployment rate increases 2.6 pct in February

STORY: Japan's unemployment rate increases 2.6 pct in February DATELINE: March 31, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:03 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of street views in Tokyo STORYLINE: Japan's unemployment rate increased in February from a month earlier, the government said in a report on Friday. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the jobless rate rose by 2.6 percent in February from 2.4 percent in January. Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said the job availability ratio dropped 0.01 points to 1.34. This equates to there being 134 job openings for every 100 people seeking work. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tokyo. (XHTV)

Health minister apologizes to victims for hepatitis C infections

TOKYO, Japan - Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe (C) meets with a group of people who were infected with hepatitis C through a tainted blood product, in Tokyo on Dec. 4. Masuzoe offered an apology to them for the first time for the government's inaction over the infections. (Kyodo)

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