熱中症とか天皇陛下とか中国とかイチローとかの話でした。あ、マックが売り上げが上がったんだってね、って話もしたな。^^ 単語をさぼってるので英語力は伸びないけれど気軽な話をするのが楽しい土曜日の朝。アメリカの大統領選の話はなんとなく聞きづらい。
1) The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday that 6,588 people were taken to hospitals nationwide to be treated for heatstroke in the week from Aug 1 to Aug 7.
The figure was an increase of 2,525 over the previous week as a heatwave covered most of Japan, agency officials said.
Twelve deaths were attributed to heatstroke, while 822 people had to be hospitalized due to their condition. Of the total number hospitalized, 3,330 were aged 65 and older.
5) Tokyo’s new governor, Yuriko Koike, has reacted positively to the idea of operating a recreational complex including a casino in the city.
In an interview with NHK on Monday, she touched on a bill aimed at legalizing casinos that is under deliberation in the Diet.
Koike said that the city needs to constantly attract more visitors from overseas.
She said the casino plan would make the city more attractive.
6) The Emperor of Japan addressed the public in a video message.
Emperor Akihito’s message alluded to his wish to abdicate.
He spoke for around 10 minutes.
He said he is worried that it may become difficult for him to carry out his duties as the symbol of the state, considering the gradual decline in his physical condition.
“There are unreasonable aspects to Japan’s imperial system. To justify the restriction of his human rights to that degree, he should have the choice to become emperor or not and one way to secure that right is to enable him to abdicate if he wishes.”
Shojiro Sakaguchi, a law professor at Hitotsubashi University, noting that the emperor’s rights are restricted under the system, including the right to express his views and marry freely. (Kyodo)
10) China’s exports fell again in July by an unexpectedly sharp margin while a decline in imports accelerated.
12) Ichiro Suzuki defined his career with speed and sharp hits. It was only fitting he flashed both in his historic moment.
Suzuki lined a tripled off the wall for his 3,000th career hit in the major leagues, becoming the 30th player to reach the milestone as the Miami Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies 10-7 Sunday.
13) American special operations troops have for the first time started directly supporting Libyan forces battling the Islamic State group in their key stronghold of Sirte, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
15) The US government says it is in close communication with Japan and monitoring the situation around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Chinese government ships have stepped up activities in the area since last Friday, repeatedly violating Japanese territorial waters.
But she said the US is aware that the islands have been under Japanese administration and that they fall within the scope of the US-Japan security treaty.
17) McDonald’s Holdings Japan has posted its first mid-term operating profit in 2 years. The change in fortunes follows a series of food safety scandals that scared away customers.
Company officials on Tuesday reported an operating profit of about 460,000 dollars for the January-June period. Sales were up 23 percent from the year before.
The officials credit the sales rebound to fresh menus and renovated outlets. They say shutting down unprofitable branches also helped to flip earnings into the black.