Mar. 20, 8am The Latest NEWS

Friday March 20, this is the the Asahi Shimbun Asia and Japan watch news briefing.

Japan awakens public on treatments for sleep disorders.

Tens of millions of Japanese have long complained about sleep-related problems, from difficulties

falling asleep to daytime drowsiness, and waking up still feeling tired despite having seemingly

slept long enough.

Indeed, Japan rests at the bottom of an international ranking of average hours of sleep

per night per individual.

In the face of the chronic public health problem, the government will direct patients with

sleep issues and to promptly seeking care by allowing medical facilities to advertise

services for sleep disorders.

Under the medical care law, healthcare facilities are not permitted to arbitrarily name a service

or department.

Patients with sleep conditions typically sought treatment and internal medicine, psychiatric,

oterrional airingology or neurology departments as there were no such departments that said

they specialize in sleep disorders.

And it was also common for patients not to know which department to consult for a range

of sleep-related problems.

In March, a panel of experts under the health ministry gave hospitals and clinics the Green

Light to publicize that they treat sleep disorders, the first approval of a new department

name since 2008.

According to the Japanese Society of Sleep Research, a group of sleep specialists at universities,

there were a number of cases where patients were reluctant to go to a psychiatric department

for sleep disorders due to the stigma of making an appointment.

The result was a long delay in being provided with needed care.

People experiencing sleep issues can go straight to see a sleep specialist without waiting too

long, said Noiza Uchiimura, president of the society and president of Kurume University,

hailing the ministry's move.

It will likely lead to early detection and treatment of patients before their symptoms

worsen.

A 57-year-old self-employed man in Fukuoka prefecture is one of tens of thousands of people

who might have sought therapy much sooner if he had been aware that his poor health has

something to do with his sleep.

Symptoms began to appear when he was in his 40s.

The man found it difficult to get out of bed due to fatigue despite sufficient hours of sleep.

He often struggled with daytime drowsiness, including even when driving a car for a short

distance.

His wife noticed that he snored loudly and that there were times he did not breathe while

asleep.

He saw a doctor at a general hospital where his child went, and he was referred to a specialist

on sleep medicine at the same hospital.

After an examination, the man was diagnosed with sleep apnea syndrome in which a patient

stops breathing repeatedly during sleep.

The condition occurs when the throat and tongue muscles relax excessively while sleeping,

blocking or narrowing the airflow.

Loud snoring is a common symptom exhibited by people with the condition.

Haven for cranes in Hokkaido saved from mega-solar plant by villagers.

Surui, Hokkaido as the dark sky turned bluish, the dawn sunlight lit up the river fog,

revealing silhouettes of red crown cranes along the Setsu-Rigawa River.

An Indian tourist there clicked away with a camera, mumbling, heaven.

During winter, the Atawabashi bridge and Surui bustles with tourists hoping to see red

crown cranes against the backdrop of steam fog caused by cold air.

Luckily for shutter bugs around the world, Surui village prevented that backdrop from being

dominated by solar panels.

Last year, a plan emerged to construct a large-scale solar power station on a hilly area that

can be seen from the Atawabashi bridge.

If completed, the red crown cranes would be seen from the bridge with large photovoltaic

panels standing in the background.

After learning about the project, Surui village officials raised donations from the public

to buy about 7.5 hectares of privately-owned land that was planned for the solar power

project.

The purchase was made jointly with the Association of National Trusts in Japan, and it effectively

halted any construction there.

The village assembly also approved a budget bill that included the acquisition cost.

It was good because it would have disappointed people from around the world who visit to

take photos of the beautiful landscape, said Masahiro Wata, a photographer who lives in

Surui and serves as head director of the village's tourist association.

Foggy Landscape.

Thanks to an abundant supply of spring water, the Setsuragawa river remains unfrozen even

in the middle of winter when the average daily low dips below minus 10 degrees.

Steam rising from the river surface is cooled by contact with cold air to form fog, creating

a fantastical landscape featuring red crown cranes that use the place as their refuge.

The scenery, often featured in overseas media, is widely known among bird enthusiasts and

photographers around the world.

The area became so popular that the pedestrian bridge was built in 1999 to give photographers

a safe spot away from the roadway.

Wata, who is also involved in a forestry business, said it was important to protect the area

because it is covered with grass and large trees, and deforestation could have reduced

the amount of water flowing into the Setsuragawa river.

After learning about another deforestation project covering 16 hectares in a forest that

serves as a water source for the Koshiro wetlands, Wata purchased the plot at his own expense

to keep the area as a forest reserve.

Video game publishers invest big on IP projects across industries.

As the global video game industry continues to balloon, so does the cost to develop them,

and Japan's publishers are responding by investing in different ways to profit using their

established characters and worlds.

Increased merchandising and spin-offs for the big and small screen are among the revenue

streams more companies are relying on to raise the profile of their intellectual properties

at home and abroad.

Film is a gateway.

Capcom company is a major entity working to simultaneously capitalize on existing fans

and grow its various fan bases by selling games under a so-called single content, multiple

usage strategy.

Its upcoming live-action film adaptation of the Street Fighter games follows the April

2025 release of an animated series based on its action-adventure Devil May Cry franchise.

The Netflix incorporated exclusive gained more than 5.3 million views worldwide in its first

week.

Global sales of the game Devil May Cry 5 would top 10 million units that June despite

being originally released in 2019.

Visual content is a good way to convey the world view of a video game in one or two

hours, said Yoshikazu Shimauchi, corporate officer, explaining that the company can raise

the profile of its games globally, thanks to Netflix and other international streaming

platforms.

We pay particular attention to countries and areas with large populations such as India,

East Asia, and South America, he added.

The key to growth lies in how we can let as many people as possible know about our works.

199.9 trillion industry Nintendo company's full-scale effort

to make movies based on its games is also backed by a philosophy that audiences need not have

played them.

The film industry, is a field where we want to make active efforts more than ever before,

said President Shintaro Furukawa.

We want to build a relationship with, new, fans where they grow in number through movies

and also become interested in video games.

This foray has already proved to be a gold mine.

Released in 2023, the Super Mario Brothers movie raked in more than $1.3 billion at the

box office worldwide, its release boosted Nintendo's total sales to $92.7 billion yen,

$600 million, in the mobile and IP related industry in the fiscal year ending March 2024.

This was an 81.6% year on your increase.

A sequel is scheduled to be released in April, while a live-action feature film adaptation

of the Legend of Zelda is scheduled to hit cinemas in 2027.

jointly created by Hollywood-based US production companies, both titles are aimed at overseas

markets with Shigeru Miyamoto, its representative director and fellow, serving as co-producer.

Bosch keeps 0.75% policy rate with eyes on Middle East situation.

The Bank of Japan kept its policy interest rate unchanged at its monetary policy meeting

on March 19, opting to forego an additional rate hike for the second consecutive meeting

as it weighs the impact of rising crude oil prices linked to heightened Middle East tensions.

The Bosch intends to carefully assess these factors while maintaining its stance of continuing

to move forward with increasing the policy rate.

The target for the interest rate on short-term funds traded between banks the uncollateralized

overnight call rate will be maintained at around 0.75%.

Of the Bosch's nine policy board members, only Hajimi Takata descended during the meeting.

He proposed raising the rate to around 1%, but the proposal was rejected.

Middle East supplies 90%.

The Bosch raised its policy interest rate from around 0.5% in December, bringing it to

the highest level in 30 years.

It views financial conditions as still accommodative and believes that, at this point, the impact

of interest rate hikes on the economy will be limited.

In as borrowing costs rise, companies are expected to maintain strong profitability, and this

year spring wage negotiations are also likely to see continued high-wage increases.

Within the Bosch, there is a prevailing view that current economic and price developments

are proceeding in line with its scenario.

However, in late February, the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran have introduced uncertainty

into the Japanese economy.

Iran's retaliatory move to seal off the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for oil transportation,

has sent crude oil prices soaring.

Japan relies on the Middle East for more than 90% of its imported crude oil.

Higher oil prices could slow the country's economic growth and fuel inflation.

If the situation drags on, it could also affect the underlying consumer price index inflation

that the Bosch places importance on, excluding temporary factors.

The Bosch appears to have decided that it is imperative to closely monitor how the situation

will affect the economy and prices.

Maintains rate hike stance.

In its statement on its monetary policy, the Bosch said that in the wake of increased

tension over the situation in the Middle East, global financial and capital markets have

been volatile and crude oil prices have risen significantly.

Future developments warn attention.

At the same time, the Bosch maintained its previous projection that it would achieve

its target of a sustained 2% inflation rate from October this year and thereafter.

It said that if developments proceed in line with its outlook, it would continue to raise

the policy interest rate and adjust the degree of monetary accommodation, thereby reaffirm

its stance of continuing interest rate hikes.

Tokyo's Sakura season begins, peak bloom likely within a week.

Cherry blossoms have officially started blooming in the capital earlier than in an average year,

the Tokyo District Meteorological Observatory announced March 19.

Staff visually confirmed 61 blossoms on the sample Samayushino Cherry tree at Yasukuni

Shrine in Tokyo's Cheat Award, five days earlier than both last year and the average date.

The standard for declaring the first bloom is when at least five to six flowers are open.

As the warm weather is expected to continue, there is a possibility the capital's cherry

blossoms will hit full bloom earlier than a week of an average year.

Ahead of central Tokyo, Kochi, Gifu and Yamunashi prefectures log the earliest bloom of the

season on March 16.

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See you next time and stay safe.