News Headlines - 27 May 2020
▽Japan's Cabinet approves biggest-ever extra budget amid pandemic - The Mainichi
Japan's Cabinet approved Wednesday a draft second supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 of 31.91 trillion yen ($296 billion) to finance measures to mitigate the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The largest-ever extra budget will help cover a package of projects worth about 117 trillion yen, centering on support for small businesses reeling from the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and front-line medical staff, which will also be funded by loans from government-affiliated financial institutions and the private sector.
The Cabinet's approval came less than a month after the enactment of the 25.69 trillion yen first extra budget for the fiscal year that started in April.
The government appointed Makoto Hayashi as head of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutor's Office effective Tuesday, after former chief Hiromu Kurokawa stepped down over a gambling scandal... Hayashi and Kurokawa began formal legal training in the same year. Hayashi had been considered a potential successor to Inada along with Kurokawa, as during his time as head of the ministry's Criminal Affairs Bureau he was instrumental in the government's push to pass a controversial anti-conspiracy bill calling for the criminalization of planning and preparing acts of terrorism and other serious offenses before they are committed.
▽Man arrested over deadly arson attack on Kyoto Animation after recovery
The hospitalized suspect in a deadly arson attack last July on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio was arrested Wednesday after being judged to have recovered sufficiently from life-threatening burns, police said.
The arrest of Shinji Aoba, 42, from the city of Saitama, north of Tokyo, came 10 months after he allegedly torched the studio in Kyoto's Fushimi Ward, killing 36 people and injuring 33 others -- one of Japan's biggest murder cases in terms of the number of victims.
Aoba has admitted to setting fire to the studio, known internationally for producing a number of popular animation works, with gasoline, police said. He was quoted as saying there was "no mistake" in the allegations against him.
▽Idol Group Member Tegoshi to Stop Showbiz Activities - JIJI PRESS
Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates said Tuesday that it will suspend all of the show business activities of Yuya Tegoshi, a member of its all-male idol group NEWS.
Tegoshi, 32, admitted taking part in a drinking party each in April and May during the government-declared coronavirus state of emergency as reported by a weekly magazine, according to the agency.
▽Fuji TV to end reality show 'Terrace House' after cast member Hana Kimura's death - The Mainichi
Fuji Television will terminate the latest series in its popular reality show "Terrace House," the Japanese broadcaster said Wednesday, four days after one of its cast members was found dead in a suspected suicide believed to have links with cyber-bullying fueled by her behavior in an episode... The broadcaster also stopped distributing the series on its internet video distribution service FOD... U.S. video streaming service Netflix, which distributes the Japanese reality show with English subtitles, said it will refrain from streaming new episodes but viewers can still watch the "Terrace House" episodes that have already been distributed.
