Tag: Japan

U.S. women arrested for allegedly smuggling $1 million worth of drugs to Japan, one claims she was motivated by free trip

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Police officers investigate a taped-off building beside a patrol car in rainy neon-lit Tokyo

Tokyo police arrested two American women for allegedly smuggling $1 million worth of cannabis into the country, with one suspect claiming she was motivated by a free trip to Japan, an official and media reports said Friday. The pair, both 25, arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda airport from New York last Saturday with two suitcases in which “cannabis-like dried plants were secretly stored,” a police spokesman told AFP. Nippon TV aired images of the drug seizure, showing more than a dozen packages containing the alleged cannabis.

Japan has some of the world’s strictest drug laws and smuggling or possession of illegal narcotics can result in a lengthy jail term. The dried cannabis weighed around 30 kilograms (66 pounds) and is valued at about 150 million yen ($970,000), media reported. One of the women told police she took the job for the money and because, “I was attracted by the fact I could go to Japan for free,” Nippon TV reported. The other suspect denies the allegation, telling police she “didn’t know that cannabis was inside” the suitcase, the Tokyo Shimbun reported, citing unnamed police sources.

The women “conspired with someone else whose name is unknown,” the police spokesman told AFP. They claimed they received instructions from a man they met on social media but never met in person, according to local media. The pair were arrested “on suspicion of violating the drugs and psychotropics control law, or, smuggling to gain profit,” the spokesman said. They also breached two other unnamed laws, he added. Smuggling cannabis for the purpose of making profit carries up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 3 million yen ($19,500).

Last December, prominent American playwright Jeremy O. Harris was arrested in Japan on suspicion of smuggling the psychedelic drug ecstasy. He was released three weeks later.

Source: U.S. women arrested for allegedly smuggling $1 million worth of drugs to Japan, one claims she was motivated by free trip – CBS News

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Proverbs 31:30

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3 lions die at Tokyo zoo from suspected heatstroke as Japan bakes in “cruelly hot” summer

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Three lions at a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke and others are under treatment, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday, with the big cats struggling with high humidity. Japan sweltered through its hottest summer on record last year and parts of the country have hit 40 degrees Celsius in recent weeks, qualifying for the new designation “cruelly hot day,” with thousands of people hospitalized. Ten of the 16 lions in Tama Zoological Park have suffered symptoms such as “loss of appetite and decreased activity” since mid-July, and three lionesses died, the zoo said in a statement.

One 3-year-old female named Mugi died on Tuesday. Three days later, an 11-year-old female named Ichigo died and on Sunday, a 15-year-old female named Luena died. The Tama Zoological Park said the lion enclosure, where visitors can normally be driven around in zebra-pattern “safari” buses, was closed to the public until further notice. “According to our veterinarian, the cause of the deaths is suspected to be heatstroke” because dehydration and multiple organ failure were observed, a spokeswoman told AFP. “Even though lions are thought to be resistant to heat, zookeepers have been strengthening countermeasures to cope with Japan’s summer heat in recent years. Heat here comes with high humidity; that is different from heat with dry air in Africa,” she said.

The spokeswoman said the heat “arrived suddenly” this summer after the rainy season ended in late July. The zoo said it used water sprays and industrial fans, and delivered intravenous fluids and medication to the affected lions. “We are strengthening measures against the heat (further), sprinkling water, improving ventilation and installing spot air conditioners,” she said. Several lions are still being treated, she added. “Born, lived, and died in confinement” Animal rights group PETA said the lions “were born, lived, and died in confinement, deprived of everything that makes life worth living for a wild animal.” “Zoos are not rescues or sanctuaries; they exist to display animals for profit, not to put animals’ needs first,” PETA said in a statement. Park Close to 18,600 people were taken to hospitals for heatstroke between July 20 and 26, with 45 of them pronounced dead on arrival, according to the fire and disaster management agency. A  woman in her 70s died of suspected heatstroke as she sheltered in her car, officials said Monday, public broadcaster NHK reported, and the temperature in Kumamoto City hit a record 40.3 degrees Celsius.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, 34 locations nationwide have hit temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or higher this summer, the Asahi Shimbun reported, breaking the record set last year. Average temperatures in western Japan during mid-to-late July were also the highest since recordkeeping began in 1946, the newspaper reported. Japan experiences about 1,300 heat-related deaths annually and is aiming to halve that number by 2030.

Source: 3 lions die at Tokyo zoo from suspected heatstroke as Japan bakes in “cruelly hot” summer – CBS News

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

Powerful earthquake shakes Panama

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Somalians Turn Minnesota Into War Zone

Peaceful Minnesota has become a terrifying scene for its residents. Minnesota nice has become a deceitful badge of horror. The saftey they once had is gone. Source: Somalians Turn Minnesota into…

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Plague in Russia?

Russian authorities have sought to allay global worries over the death of a young woman who worked at a Siberian anti-plague laboratory. But moves to isolate her contacts and introduce new…

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Christian Persecution September 25-October 2 2026

Recent reporting (roughly September 25–October 2, 2026) on Christian persecution centers on continued lethal violence in Nigeria, house-church detentions in China, and related pressures elsewhere. Nigeria Attacks attributed to Fulani militants…

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Tsunami watch triggered after 7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes southern Philippines

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giant sea waves

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook part of the southern Philippines early Monday, causing damage in a key coastal city, knocking down power and sparking a tsunami warning on some regional coasts. People were urged to go to higher ground. There were no immediate reports of casualties, and it was not clear if people were trapped or injured in the collapse of a small building in General Santos city. The coastal city of more than 700,000 people is a commercial hub on the island of Mindanao known for its tuna processing industry. The epicenter was 8 miles southwest of General Santos and had a depth of 6.2 miles, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

It struck at 7:37 a.m. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves up to 10 feet were possible on some coasts of the Philippines. Waves up to 3 feet were possible on some coasts of Indonesia and Malaysia. “We advise people to evacuate to higher grounds or go further inland,” Teresito Bacolcol, the head of the Philippine institute, warned people living in coastal areas. Smaller sea changes were possible in Taiwan, Japan, Guam, Papua New Guinea and several island nations and territories in the western Pacific. There was no threat to Hawaii, the PTWC said. DZRH radio station in Manila reported that the small commercial building where its provincial branch was located partly collapsed and staffers dashed to the ground floor without injuries. It wasn’t clear if other people were trapped in the rubble of the four-story office building due to the quake, which struck before office hours.

Residents also felt the earthquake tremors in north-central Indonesia, and tsunami waves up to 7 inches were recorded on some coasts of North Sulawesi and North Maluku provinces. Aftershocks up to 6.5 magnitude followed, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It measured the original quake at 34 miles deep. Variations in measurements by different agencies are common in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake. The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

Source: Tsunami watch triggered after 7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes southern Philippines – CBS News

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.
Proverbs 11:4

Trusting God Amid Life’s Storms

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For God so Loved the World

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2 Timothy 3:12 

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted Paul was reminding Timothy that following Christ does not guarantee an easy life. When we choose to live our lives in…

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John 15:18–20

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the…

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Galatians 1:6-10

“When truth becomes negotiable, faith becomes vulnerable so know the Gospel, stand on God’s Word, and seek His approval above the world’s applause.” “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called…

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Bear rampages through 2 factories and a residential area in Japan, injuring 4 people

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majestic brown bear in autumn forest

A bear attack left four people injured in two factories and a residential area in northern Japan’s Fukushima on Tuesday, police and media reports said. A record 13 people were killed by bears in Japan last year, and there has been a jump in sightings as the animals emerge hungry from hibernation. “A bear-related human injury incident… occurred in Fukushima City, injuring four people,” the prefectural police said in a statement. The bear was first spotted in a car parts factory, prompting an emergency call explaining that “employees had been bitten,” the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported, citing police and fire department officials. The outlet reported the bear still had not been located.

As the bear continued its rampage, two other people were injured, one in a residential area and the other on the premises of an electronic equipment manufacturer nearby, the Yomiuri said, adding that the animal was thought to have remained inside the factory. The report said one of those attacked was heavily injured, while the rest suffered only mild injuries. In the last fiscal year to March, bear sightings nationwide topped 50,000, more than double the previous record set two years earlier, according to official data. The animals have been seen on airport runways, walking on golf courses, roaming near schools and causing panic in supermarkets and hot spring resorts almost on a daily basis. A bear that rampaged through a supermarket for two days was lured out with food coated in honey, and police said the animal was trapped and later killed.

The problem was so bad that last year the U.S. State Department warned Americans in Japan to be alert for bears.  Record sightings have been reported again this year as the bears emerge from their winter slumber, according to local media. In April, bear attacks killed one person and injured five others, according to the environment ministry. There have also been more than a dozen bear sightings reported on the outskirts of Tokyo this year, with a Russian man in his 30s reportedly mauled as he hiked in the city last month. A Japanese company making ferocious-looking robot wolves is being swamped by orders after record numbers of fatal bear attacks on humans last year.

“Monster Wolf” is an animatronic scarecrow with flashing red eyes that howls and growls menacingly to scare away wild animals.  Scientists say the surge in attacks has been driven by fast-growing numbers of bears, combined with a falling human population, especially in rural areas.

Source: Bear rampages through 2 factories and a residential area in Japan, injuring 4 people – CBS News

Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
1 Peter 1:18-19

Isaiah 45:2

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Proverbs 21:23

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Psalm 5:8

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North Korea fires 10 suspected ballistic missile towards Sea of Japan, Seoul says

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historic kochi castle in springtime japan

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s office has asked authorities to ensure the safety of aircraft, vessels and other military assets. It has also called for deploying all measures for precaution, including readying contingencies

Source: North Korea fires 10 suspected ballistic missile towards Sea of Japan, Seoul says – Firstpost

O my soul, you have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
Psalm 16:2

Mother injured after fighting off coyote that attacked 4-year-old daughter

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Muslim Shoots Christian Woman to Death in Pakistan

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Christian Teen Beaten for Protecting Women in Pakistan

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25 dead after cargo ship fire in Chinese port

A cargo ship docked for repairs in a Chinese port caught fire, killing 25 people, Chinese state media reported Thursday. The ship was being repaired in the Beihai Shipbuilding Co. at the port of Qingdao, a major shipping hub on the northeastern Chinese coast. A photo released by Xinhua news agency identified the ship as…

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Marking ten years since the 2011 Japan earthquake

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Japan

Fifteen years ago, on March 11, 2011, the fourth-largest recorded earthquake in history struck Japan’s Pacific Coast, triggering a 128-foot tsunami wave that swallowed villages whole and triggered the biggest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Nearly 20,000 people died, 500,000 were forced to evacuate, 138,000 buildings were destroyed, and the country suffered the most expensive disaster in human history, with $360 billion in economic losses, according to a 2013 estimate from the Brookings Institution.

Source: Marking ten years since the 2011 Japan earthquake – 60 Minutes – CBS News

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
James 1:6

Record-setting cyclospora outbreak is over, U.S. health officials declare

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Field of Flags marks 25 years since 9/11 at Kennesaw Mountain

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Teen survives for days clinging to capsized boat off Alaska

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9/11 Never Forget; An Awesome Tribute

Created by Steve A. I hear a song and that song evokes an emotion and that emotion in me helped in the creation of this tribute video. While I wish all of the images were high resolution….some images of that day were caught with low quality equipment and the images I chose all seemed to…

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Japan says a second Japanese person is detained in Iran

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international flags waving against blue sky

Japan’s Foreign Ministry says a second Japanese national has been detained in Iran and requested the early release of both people

Source: Japan says a second Japanese person is detained in Iran – ABC News

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Romans 6:1-2

3 bear cubs break into man’s San Bernardino County mountain cabin

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Flight 93 Memorial ceremonies today mark 25 years since 9/11

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25 years after 9/11, Massachusetts to mark attacks with statewide moment of silence and “Tribute in Light”

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Maryland invests $11 million to expand bike, pedestrian and trail infrastructure

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Why are so many yellowjackets buzzing around Southeast Michigan?

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