Category: Society

In New York foreign exchange trading on the 10th, the yen weakened 88 sen from the previous day to trade at 154.36–46 yen per dollar. On 5ch’s “Breaking News+” board, posters pointed to a string of hawkish-sounding remarks from Bank of Japan officials — Policy Board member Hajime Takata, Finance Minister Katayama, and Policy Board member Kazuyuki Masu — as the driver behind yen buying, while expectations of a Fed rate hike also grew on views that US PPI (Producer Price Index) data would come in hotter than expected, and crude oil hit a four-month high, making for a tangle of competing factors. Just two days earlier, the board had been buzzing about the yen nearing the 150 mark, so some were surprised the move even counted as “breaking news” at this level, while others predicted the BOJ would hike rates three times in a row — opinions split on whether the yen would keep weakening or reverse into strength.

September 11, 2026, 06:26 AM, Kyodo News

[NEW YORK, Kyodo] The yen stood at 154.36–46 per dollar as of 5:00 p.m. in New York trading on the 10th, down 88 sen from the previous day.

Source: 47news.jp / Original article here

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (“Breaking News+”) thread “[Breaking] NY Yen, ¥154.36–46.”

At animal quarantine in New Chitose Airport, an infectious strain of foot-and-mouth disease virus was detected in raw goat meat that a traveler from China had attempted to bring into Japan. This is the first time the virus has been found in meat seized during animal quarantine, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries says the border check successfully kept it from entering the country. Foot-and-mouth disease is extremely contagious, and once it spreads to livestock, culling every animal on the affected farms becomes unavoidable — Miyazaki Prefecture saw a massive outbreak of it in 2010. On the thread, posters worried that other contaminated meat may already be slipping past quarantine, questioned why anyone would want to bring in raw meat in the first place, and pointed out inconsistencies in how quarantine is enforced compared to goods from other countries.

Infectious Foot-and-Mouth Virus Found in Raw Goat Meat Brought from China — First Confirmed Case at New Chitose Airport Quarantine – Sankei News

2026/9/10 15:31

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced on the 10th that it had confirmed an infectious strain of foot-and-mouth disease virus in raw goat meat that a passenger from China attempted to bring into New Chitose Airport in January. This is the first time the virus has been found in meat or other items seized during animal quarantine. The meat was intercepted at the border, and officials say entry into the country was prevented.

Source: sankei.com / Original article here

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (News Express+) thread “Infectious Foot-and-Mouth Virus Found in Raw Goat Meat Brought from China — First Confirmed Case at New Chitose Airport Quarantine.”

An interview article featuring sociologist Chizuko Ueno discussing lookism — being ranked by appearance — and ageism — being devalued because of old age — was picked up on 5ch’s News Express+ board. Her statement “There’s no need to just put up with discrimination” sparked debate over the wording itself, with posters saying the Japanese phrasing was ambiguous about whose “putting up with it” it referred to — the discriminator’s or the discriminated-against’s. Discussion also turned, as it often does in these threads, to the perennial question of where exactly the line between “discrimination” and “distinction” lies, without reaching any consensus.

Since the 2000s, the term “ikizurasa” (the sense of difficulty in simply living, of not fitting into society) has taken root in Japanese society. Some of this difficulty comes from internal factors like personal traits or upbringing, while other forms come from external factors — discrimination rooted in how society views a person. In the latter case, people are ranked by appearance from a young age, and in old age they’re marked down for losing physical ability and independence — so this difficulty just keeps changing shape and lasts a lifetime.

We put the question of the hardships caused by lookism (discrimination based on appearance) and ageism (discrimination based on age) — something many people experience — to sociologist Chizuko Ueno.

“You’re so cute!” “You don’t look your age at all.”

Source: hakuhodo.co.jp / Original article here

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “There’s No Need to Just Put Up With Discrimination — How Sociologist Chizuko Ueno Embodies a Life of ‘Speaking Up’ Against Lookism and Ageism.”

A men-only sauna in Takamatsu that once lifted its ban on tattoos went back to banning them again after just a month and a half, following a string of incidents: smoking in the non-smoking outdoor relaxation area, damaged equipment, intimidating behavior, and even false applications from organized crime members. The story sparked plenty of discussion. In the thread, some worried about regular customers being driven away and shared similar stories from other bathhouses, while others criticized the manager for being naive about what would happen — opinions were split.

⟨Sauna Trouble⟩ “Tattoos OK → Banned Again in Just 1.5 Months” — What Happened? Takamatsu Men’s-Only Sauna Manager Speaks Out: “Some Organized Crime Members Even Came With False Applications”

Published Thu, Sep 10, 18:33

Shueisha Online

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Sauna Trouble] “Tattoos OK → Banned Again in Just 1.5 Months”… Takamatsu Men’s Sauna Manager: “Some Organized Crime Members Filed False Applications…”.”

On September 10, 2026, a specialist panel under Japan’s Children and Families Agency announced it would stop using the term “shinjū” (double suicide) — in use for roughly 20 years in reviews of child abuse deaths — replacing it with “child abuse death involving a guardian’s suicide.” The move follows criticism from experts that “shinjū,” which also carries the meaning of two people in love mutually agreeing to end their lives, obscures the reality that children are being dragged into these deaths. On 5ch threads, posters pointed out that the term “muri shinjū” (forced double suicide) already existed to distinguish these cases, while others responded with weary remarks that renaming the term won’t actually reduce such deaths — some even cited the Edo-period shogunate’s own relabeling of shinjū as “aitaijini” (mutual death) as historical precedent.

Asahi Shimbun

(Updated September 10, 2026, 12:59 PM)

Cases that have until now been called “shinjū” will henceforth be referred to as “child abuse deaths involving a guardian’s suicide.” The Children and Families Agency’s specialist panel on reviewing child abuse deaths changed the terminology on the 10th, after roughly 20 years of continuous use. The agency itself also plans to revise its terminology. Experts had criticized the word “shinjū” — which also carries the meaning of a loving couple mutually agreeing to die together — for “concealing the reality of child killing.”

Source: asahi.com / Original article here

※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “No More ‘Shinjū’: Government Panel Renames the Term Amid Criticism It ‘Hides Child Killing’.”

A video of foreign tourists dancing at the “Senbon Torii” (Thousand Torii Gates) of Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto has gone viral on social media, sparking controversy. On September 7, the shrine posted a notice on its official website asking visitors to behave with restraint, citing conduct that inconveniences other worshippers. Speaking to J-CAST, a shrine spokesperson commented, “It’s disappointing that Japanese culture isn’t understood.” On 5ch forums, users debated whether the behavior at the torii gates could be compared to similar acts at other religious sites, with some pointing out that Japanese influencers have done the same kind of dancing — leaving posters divided over whether this can really be called “a foreigners-only problem.”

2026.09.10 17:58, Hiroyuki Noguchi

Videos showing foreign tourists dancing on their own under the torii gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto — famous for its “Senbon Torii” — have been circulating one after another on X since September 2026, causing a stir.

On the 7th, citing behavior that inconveniences other worshippers, Inari Taisha called for restrained conduct via a notice on its official website. We spoke to a shrine spokesperson to find out what’s actually happening on the ground.

Source: j-cast.com / Original article here

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “Worshippers held up as tourists bust out enthusiastic dance moves under the torii gates — Fushimi Inari Taisha on foreigners’ disruptive behavior: ‘It’s disappointing that Japanese culture isn’t understood’.”

A joint nationwide public opinion survey conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun and Waseda University found that only 24% of respondents said they “trust” social media information about political and social events, while 74% said they “don’t trust” it. By age group, the 18-39 bracket had the highest rate at 38%, a stark contrast to just 14% among those 60 and older. On the thread, some took the result as reassuring — “good that it’s still a minority” — while others pushed back hard, insisting “old media can’t be trusted anymore either.” Opinion was split over which source actually deserves more trust.

In a joint nationwide public opinion survey (conducted by mail) by the Yomiuri Shimbun and Waseda University’s Institute for Advanced Social Sciences, respondents were asked how much they trust information on social media platforms such as YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) regarding political and social affairs.

Those who said they “trust” it — including “to some extent” — came to 24% in total, while those who “don’t trust” it — including “not very much” — reached 74%.

Broken down by age, the share who said they “trust” it was 38% among 18-39 year-olds, 28% among 40-59 year-olds, and 14% among those 60 and older — trust was higher the younger the age group.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

59AnonymousSep 10, 2026 16:25

Re: #3
You have any idea how much misinformation floods social media?

92AnonymousSep 10, 2026 16:49

Re: #59
Crazy, right?

*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Newsspeed+) thread “24% Say They “Trust” Social Media Information, With a Trend Toward Higher “Approval” of Extreme Claims — Yomiuri/Waseda Joint Public Opinion Survey.”

On the morning of the 9th, a 74-year-old female worker repairing a chimney at an apartment building in Takikawa, Hokkaido, fell roughly 8 meters from the roof to the ground. She was taken to the hospital, where she was later confirmed dead. She had been wearing a helmet, but not a safety harness. On 5ch, the thread drew reactions of shock that elderly workers are still forced into high-altitude jobs, pointed out that Japanese law sets no upper age limit for such work, and discussed the Hokkaido-specific heating setup that explains why an apartment building would even have a chimney.

On the morning of September 9th in Takikawa, Hokkaido, a woman in her 70s working on the roof of an apartment building fell roughly 8 meters to the ground and was confirmed dead at the hospital she was taken to.

Just after 10 a.m. on the 9th, a female construction worker (74), a Takikawa resident, was working on the roof of a two-story apartment building in Nishi-machi, Takikawa, when she fell roughly 8 meters to the ground.

The woman (74) was taken to the hospital, where she was later confirmed dead.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

39AnonymousSep 10, 2026 17:16

Even at Tokyo Tower, over 100 meters up, they used to work without safety harnesses too…

57AnonymousSep 10, 2026 17:18

Re: #39
Is this the one?

70AnonymousSep 10, 2026 17:21

Re: #57
I wonder if any of the laborers ever fell

119AnonymousSep 10, 2026 17:27

Re: #57
The crazy part is they passed red-hot glowing metal hand-to-hand all the way up like this for riveting
There's no way they could get away with that today

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Hokkaido] 74-year-old female worker falls to death from 8 meters — was repairing chimney on apartment roof, wore helmet but no safety harness.”

Following an April 2026 revision to Japan’s Road Traffic Act requiring cars to keep a set distance when overtaking bicycles, reports have revealed that a separate wave of traffic violations is popping up nationwide, as drivers cross the no-crossing yellow center line in order to keep that distance. In response, the Metropolitan Police Department has decided to repaint roughly half of Tokyo’s yellow center lines as white lines. On 5ch, opinions split over whether this is the right call: some argued it would be far cheaper to instead amend the law to allow crossing the line specifically when overtaking a bicycle; others questioned why the yellow line — originally meant to ensure safety from oncoming traffic — should be touched at all; and still others pointed out that the root cause was pushing bicycles onto the road to begin with.

Investigative reporting by Spotlight has revealed that, alongside this April’s revision to the Road Traffic Act establishing rules for cars overtaking bicycles, a separate traffic violation has emerged: cars crossing the no-crossing yellow center line in order to keep their distance from bicycles.

Following this report, it has newly come to light that the Metropolitan Police Department plans to repaint roughly half of the yellow center lines in Tokyo as “white lines.”

◆ Traffic violations mount under the “new rule”

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

※ This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “Traffic violations mount under bicycle-overtaking “new rule” — Metropolitan Police to repaint Tokyo’s yellow center lines white.”

On September 10, Bank of Japan Policy Board member Kazuyuki Masu said in a speech in Fukui City that the BOJ “will continue raising the policy interest rate and adjusting the degree of monetary easing,” noting that the underlying rate of inflation has moved considerably closer to 2%. On the 5ch News Express+ (Newsplus) thread, his remarks set off a wave of speculation about where the dollar-yen exchange rate is headed, with predictions ranging from “Is it heading to 140 yen?” to “Whatever happened to the Kuroda ceiling of 125 yen?” Meanwhile, posters with variable-rate mortgages lamented their rising repayment burdens, and some speculated that the rate hike was driven by pressure from the U.S. or the Trump administration rather than domestic conditions. Commenters also debated whether underlying inflation is really close to 2%, pointing to the gap between the core CPI and the core-core CPI figures.

September 10, 2026, 10:50 AM — Kyodo News

Bank of Japan Policy Board member Kazuyuki Masu said in a speech in Fukui City on the 10th that the BOJ “will continue raising the policy interest rate and adjusting the degree of monetary easing.” He noted that the underlying rate of inflation has moved considerably closer to 2%.

Source: 47news.jp / Original article here

*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Newsplus) thread “[Breaking] BOJ Policy Board Member Says ‘Rate Hikes to Continue’.”