The second Shinkansen in a few months causes significant delays

In this week’s news roundup, we report the decoupling of two Shinkansen trains in Tokyo, and we have the latest E10 series that is expected to be launched in 2030. We also reviewed the enthusiastic exchange between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump claim Japan and China are manipulating their currencies to gain an unfair trade advantage. In the crime news, J-Pop Idol Kenshin Kamimura was arrested for alleged indecent assault in Hong Kong. and Your name Producer Koichiro Ito was sentenced to four years in prison for sexual acts and other crimes against minor girls.

Shinkansen decoupling affects over 152,000 commuters

For the second time in less than six months, two new Shinkansen trains were decoupled on Thursday. This leads to Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, Hokuriku and Joetsu Shinkansen line. The linked Hayabusa and Komachi trains were traveling at 60 km/h at around 11:30 am, disconnecting between Ueno and Omiya stations, with Tohoku Shinkansen stopping nearby Nishi-Nippori The station after triggering the automatic braking system. Fortunately, No injuries. A total of 111 trains were cancelled and 166 were delayed, affecting about 152,800 commuters. A similar incident occurred in September.

Two days before the decoupling, JR East Railway Co. announced that it would begin developing the next generation E10 bullet train for the Tohoku Shinkansen series. It will replace the E2 and E5 series trains and will be shorter by 15% of the braking distance. A new device will also be used to absorb vibrations caused by earthquakes. The maximum speed is 320 km/h, the same as the E5 series. Operational testing of the new model is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2027 with the aim of starting commercial operations in fiscal 2030.

Japan reacts to intense exchanges between Trump and Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday is expected to sign a deal to make the United States more accessible to the country’s rare earth minerals. A joint press conference will be held later. Ultimately, the plan must be cancelled after a heated debate broke out between Zelenskyy, U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Jade Vance. “You are gambling with the lives of millions of people,” Trump shouted, adding, “You are gambling with World War Ispier. The next day, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba made his comments on the exchange, calling it a “quite unexpected development.”

He added: “Japan must do everything he can to prevent division between the United States, Ukraine and the seven countries. This is not something that emotions should conflict. A diplomacy with sympathy and perseverance support must be adopted to achieve peace.” Ishiba later said he had “no intention of substituting the bench”, but stressed that he would work to “get the United States into it.” On Monday, Trump announced that he ordered the cessation of cargoes of military aid to Ukraine. The next day, Zelenskyy posted on X that he was “prepared to work under President Trump under strong leadership for ongoing peace.”

Japan rejects Trump’s currency manipulation charges

The same day Trump announced that the United States would stop military aid to Ukraine, he also warned Japan and China. “I’ve called Xi Jinping and I’ve called the Japanese leader and said you can’t continue to reduce and break down the currency,” he said. “You can’t do that because it’s not fair to us. When Japan, China and elsewhere kill their currencies, it’s hard for us to make tractors here, caterpillars.” He added, “The way you can easily solve it is tariffs.”

Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato rejected the claim that Tokyo is manipulating the yen to gain an unfair trade advantage over the United States. “We don’t adopt policies that undermine the (Japanese) currency. If you think back to our forex market interventions in recent years, you can understand what I mean,” Kato said in a press conference on Tuesday. He added that he spoke with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in January, and both sides agreed to forex. The yen strengthened the dollar after Trump’s comments.

Image via @onenonly_tokyo instagram

J-Pop Idol Kenshin Kamimura arrested for defiant attacks in Hong Kong

Kenshin Kamimura is only a member of the group N’s and was charged with indecent assault in Hong Kong this week. His agent Stardust issued a statement Tuesday. “We regret to inform you that as of today, March 4, he no longer joined the group, and Stardust Promotions terminated his contract due to discovering Kenshin Kamimura’s serious breach of compliance.” The company apologized to members of Swag (a fan club with only one N’s) and then confirmed that the group’s tour will continue for five members, meaning no refunds will be made.

Kamimura, 25, a rapper and dancer at J-Pop Group, is accused of assaulting a female translator. According to Hong Kong news media, pop idols held a fan meeting as part of the Any Asian tour on Tung Chung Island on March 1. After the event, he and his staff enjoyed the celebration party. The alleged crime took place at a banquet. The next day, the translator filed a complaint with the provincial police. Kamimura was arrested soon after. The hearing is scheduled for April 15.

Your name producer is sentenced to 4 years in prison for child prostitution

Wakayama District Court was sentenced last Friday Your name Producer Koichiro Ito was imprisoned for four years for paying cash for sexual and filming of several underage girls. The 53-year-old, his honors also include other respected films by Makoto Shinkai, such as Weathering with you and Suzukiwas first arrested in February 2024 for soliciting clear images from minors in September 2021. Shortly thereafter, he was detained again shortly after allegedly having sex with two girls under the age of 18.

The ITO was eventually charged with various crimes, including rape and violations of laws regarding child prostitution and pornography. During the trial, he was allegedly paid for his sexual relationship with more than 100 people. He allegedly filmed the actions. Some of them involve minors. Prosecutors stressed Ito’s “crawling and malicious” motives and demanded six years in prison. The ITO’s defense sought probation, saying he had settled with two victims and was also consulted at a medical facility. However, the court concluded that a four-year prison sentence was appropriate.

Ethiopian duo Takele and Kebede ranked first in Tokyo marathon

More than 37,000 runners competed in the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday. Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele won the men’s match in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 23 seconds personal best time. He is 28 seconds ahead of the computer Deresa Geleta. The Ethiopians also won the women’s competition. Sutume Kebede defended her crowd from 2 hours, 16 minutes, 31 seconds since 2024. Kenya’s Winfiridah Moraa Moseti is second, ahead of Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa. The top performers in Japan are Subasa Ichiyama and Yuka Ando, ​​who finished tenth and 11th in men’s and women’s competitions respectively.

The most famous name in a marathon is former one-way star Harry Styles. He completed the game with a very considerable time of 3 hours and 24 minutes and 7 seconds. Even more impressive, he played with an almost perfect split: 1:42:03 in the first half and 1:42:04 in the second. Other celebrity names completing the course include models Georgina Wilson and Isabelle Daza, as well as Argentine actor Nicolás Cabré, who have been criticized for their poor performance on the Tokyo train.

Related Articles