Kyodo News 40850, Sports, Navigation Report 1152-1158, Kaiun-Suisan News 15909

Notice. The race order and race results for the Osaka Cup horse racing race (31st) will be sent around the following date and time (JST).

Front page. A man whose same-sex partner, with whom he had lived for over 20 years, was murdered in an incident received “Crime Victim Benefits” as his spouse. On the 26th, the Supreme Court’s Third Petty Bench (Presiding Judge Hayashidotoki) ruled on the 26th in a case in which the issue of whether or not the person was eligible to receive the payment was based on the following: The court made the first judgment that same-sex partners can also fall under the category of “persons who have experienced the same circumstances.” The court then overturned the Nagoya High Court’s second-instance ruling that excluded same-sex partners from receiving benefits, and remanded the case for further consideration.

Second page. [Beijing] On the 26th, Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean General Secretary Kim Jong Un and deputy director of the North Korean Workers’ Party, spoke out against the Japanese government, which does not accept North Korea’s position that the abduction issue has been resolved. “We will ignore and refuse any contact or negotiations.” Regarding Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s desire to hold a Japan-North Korea summit, he dismissed the matter as “not our concern.” The Korean Central News Agency reported.

Third page. The official land prices announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on the 26th (as of January 1st) increased by 2.3% year on year on average for all uses, 2.0% for residential land, and 3.1% for commercial land. Both figures have been positive for three consecutive years, and the rate of increase has expanded. The growth rate for all uses is the largest since the bubble economy period. In regions other than the four major cities of Sapporo, Sendai, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka, the percentage of rising points exceeded the falling points for the first time in 32 years since 1992. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism analyzed, “The upward trend is strengthening due to the gradual economic recovery.Except for some local films, nationwide, prices have returned to pre-COVID-19 levels.”

Fourth page. Visual observation, in which staff members look at the sky and determine the weather, ended on the 26th at meteorological observatories across the country other than Tokyo and Osaka. Weather will be automated using radar and satellites, but observation items such as “clear skies”, “slightly cloudy”, and “rainbow” will no longer be available.

A representative from the Japan Meteorological Agency said, “Technology has progressed and it is now possible to perform sufficient automatic observations.Compared to people who experience fluctuations, we have the advantage of being able to obtain uniform data.”