Prime Minister Abe – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today. Sun, 12 May 2024 03:52:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/en_rocket_1024.png?w=32 Prime Minister Abe – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com 32 32 176746664 Former Prime Minister Abe tickles the ivories on his latest YouTube video【Video】 https://soranews24.com/2021/12/27/former-prime-minister-abe-tickles-the-ivories-on-his-latest-youtube-video%e3%80%90video%e3%80%91/ https://soranews24.com/2021/12/27/former-prime-minister-abe-tickles-the-ivories-on-his-latest-youtube-video%e3%80%90video%e3%80%91/#comments Sun, 26 Dec 2021 15:00:23 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=570732 
He’s really settling into his new YouTuber gig.
Back in October former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe surprised everyone by launching his own YouTube channel. At the time it was unclear whether he’d really embrace the format or just use it as a mere campaign platform, but there were small signs he was getting into it, like this food video of a katsudon bento.
Granted that was still just flirting with the genre, since it’s basically just veiled stumping for the general election that was only a week away. Katsudon has the word “katsu” in it which is synonymous with “win” in Japanese, so in a way he’s more or less getting a little good luck for himself here.
However, this time he’s really outdone himself and posted a piano performance which appears to have no ulterior motive other than to entertain. The video was actually shot a while back to be used at the Japan Spirit Concert 2021 held last October. However, now he is sharing it with everyone on YouTube.
So, without further ado, here is the former-PM Abe performing Hana wo Saku on piano.
▼ The introduction lasts about a minute if you feel like skipping right to the action
Now, maybe my expectations were just really low, but… that was pretty good, wasn’t it? It wasn’t just technically sound, but he even seemed to put just the right subtle emotion into the song too.
For those unfamiliar, Hana wa Saku was a song created in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake as a tribute to those lost, and was sung by a large cast of actors, singers, and celebrities in a We Are The World fashion.
▼ Here is the original video for comparison.
Again, I’m having a hard time coming to terms with it, but I think I like Abe’s version better? To make things even more shocking, at the end of the video he admits to having given up piano back in first grade some 60 years ago. He says he only re-started recently, most likely after retiring from the position of PM in 2020.
I’m still having a hard time believing my own opinion about this, so let’s see what others online had to say.
“Wait a minute! He can play piano?”
“I cried a little.”
“He said he only played in elementary school, but I’m really impressed with his ability.”
“He seems like a totally different person.”
“He’s not just playing properly. He’s playing well.”
“It’s a Christmas gift from Abe!”
“Oh, he’s going full YouTuber now!”
“Abenopiano”
“I so wanted him to say ‘please subscribe’ at the end.”
“Maybe AbePiano and PanPiano can have a collab.”
Others do seem to like it, so I guess the former head of state really does have some chops after all. Even non-fans of Shinzo Abe really have to hand it to him for this video, if for no other reason than to encourage him to inch even closer to the conventional YouTuber sphere.
Once we get that game stream out of him, he will have finally arrived. I feel like that Aomori apple game is a prime opportunity to get him to try.
Source: YouTube/あべ晋三チャンネル via Hachima Kiko
Top image: YouTube/あべ晋三チャンネル
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2021/12/27/former-prime-minister-abe-tickles-the-ivories-on-his-latest-youtube-video%e3%80%90video%e3%80%91/feed/ 0 570732 Japanese PM asks schools around Japan to close as coronavirus cases rise https://soranews24.com/2020/02/27/japanese-pm-asks-schools-around-japan-to-close-as-coronavirus-cases-rise/ https://soranews24.com/2020/02/27/japanese-pm-asks-schools-around-japan-to-close-as-coronavirus-cases-rise/#comments Thu, 27 Feb 2020 14:00:23 +0000 http://soranews24.com/?p=490523 
Surprise announcement comes as children are now testing positive for COVID-19.
As the coronavirus continues to spread in Japan, with 912 cases recorded as of Thursday night, including 705 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, the Japanese government is scrambling to put measures in place in order to contain the virus while the outbreak is still in its early stages.
This evening, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the extraordinary announcement that he will be asking all of the country’s elementary and junior and senior high schools to close temporarily from Monday.
Abe made the announcement at a meeting of key Cabinet ministers who have been convening regularly to discuss infection control measures. Speaking to the press, Abe said:
“Above all else, safeguarding the health of children is paramount, and anticipating the risk of a large-scale outbreak as large numbers of children and teachers gather together for long hours every day, I will be asking all elementary, junior high, senior high and special needs schools nationwide to close temporarily from next Monday, 2 March, until the spring vacation.”
The spring vacation in Japan typically runs for roughly ten days from the third week of March, ending in early April. While no classes are held during vacation periods in Japan, students still typically attend school for club activities, with teachers working at school as well. In light of Abe’s announcement, local boards of education will be informing staff of their attendance requirements and details regarding club activities during the temporary closure from Friday 28 February.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has stated that nursery schools are not included in this request.
The early start to the spring vacation for students across Japan comes as elementary and junior high schools in Hokkaido closed on 27 February, after 15 new cases were reported there, two of which were children under the age of ten.
The northern island of Hokkaido now has the highest number of infected within Japan, with a total of 54 recorded cases, including a teacher and a school bus driver.
The government has said that the next two weeks are critical in containing the outbreak, and are urging for the cancellation or postponement of large-scale events and festivals during this period.
The future of this summer’s Tokyo Olympics is now dependent on early containment of the virus, which has spread to 50 countries and territories, with over 82,000 cases and more than 2,800 deaths reported worldwide.
Source: NHK via Jin
Top image: Pakutaso
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2020/02/27/japanese-pm-asks-schools-around-japan-to-close-as-coronavirus-cases-rise/feed/ 0 490523 coronavirus Japan schools close news COVID 19 Why’s Prime Minister Abe so healthy? It’s all the food from Fukushima! https://soranews24.com/2013/07/10/whys-prime-minister-abe-so-healthy-its-all-the-food-from-fukushima/ https://soranews24.com/2013/07/10/whys-prime-minister-abe-so-healthy-its-all-the-food-from-fukushima/#comments Tue, 09 Jul 2013 19:30:55 +0000 http://en.rocketnews24.com/?p=69285 Ah, election season in Japan! While for other countries this might mean a deluge of angry black-and-white TV commercials, in Japan it mostly means street-side speeches.
Last week, Prime Minister Abe swung by Fukushima City in Fukushima Prefecture to support local candidate Masako Mori, who’s the current minister of the Consumer Affairs Agency. And what did he talk about?
How great Fukushima-produced food is, of course!
Standing atop a campaign van, the prime minister addressed the crowd on behalf of Minister Mori. Among other things, Abe touched on the issue of Fukushima-produced food.
As you are probably aware, following the horrific Tohoku disaster in 2011 and subsequent radiation leaks, many people, both in Japan and abroad, are reluctant to eat food produced in the prefecture out of fear of radiation poisoning.
The prime minister, perhaps hoping to appeal to local voters, claimed to eat Fukushima-produced rice every day, saying that the food was what kept him energetic. He continued, saying, “Whenever I go to a summit meeting, I tell the other leaders. I eat Fukushima-produced rice.”
The politician added later, “We’re going to wipe away the financial losses from this misinformation, speed up the rebuilding of the infrastructure, and use all our power to take up the rebuilding of Fukushima.”
For those of you who have never seen a political speech in Japan, let us just say that it’s not particularly exciting, thanks in part to strict campaign laws. For example, door-to-door campaigning is banned—though it is legal and common to drive around in vehicles blaring the names of the candidates. Some other things that are currently banned for campaigners include offering food and drinks (though hot tea and small snacks are okay), turning campaigns into popularity contests by performing public opinion polls, or activities that excite people.
Well, we can safely say that we haven’t seen any politicians doing that last one.
While the safety of Fukushima rice may not be in question for Prime Minister Abe, he seems to face an uphill battle on changing public perception. Though we’re sure there’s no one who wouldn’t welcome Fukushima’s revival.
]]> https://soranews24.com/2013/07/10/whys-prime-minister-abe-so-healthy-its-all-the-food-from-fukushima/feed/ 0 69285 Cool Japan has a plan! https://soranews24.com/2013/06/02/cool-japan-has-a-plan/ https://soranews24.com/2013/06/02/cool-japan-has-a-plan/#comments Sat, 01 Jun 2013 20:00:30 +0000 http://en.rocketnews24.com/?p=60406 
Remember all the talk of a new “Cool Japan Strategy” which aimed to export Japan’s “coolness” abroad. Well, on May 28, the Japanese government’s Cool Japan Promotion Committee announced its action plan!
The Cool Japan Strategy is aimed at promoting the spread of Japanese culture abroad, focusing on modern popular culture as well as food culture. It’s a pretty big deal for the government and makes an appearance in the Abe Administration’s economic growth strategy. Ideas that have found their way into the plan include training Japanese goods experts as “food evangelists” to spread the the faith abroad, and international popularity contests for anime characters. One of the suggestions for promoting the strategy is having the Prime Minister issue a “declaration of the founding of Cool Japan”. I sincerely hope this involves Prime Minster Abe and the rest of the Diet looking very serious while surrounded by lolita girls and anime mascots. Perhaps even the PM himself could get into the spirit and don a costume. I’m sure the extra expense wouldn’t be an issue considering that, including what was implemented in last year’s supplementary budget, the expected cost is already said to be around 84 billion yen (US$834 million).
From February to May of this year, the committee and subcommittees have met six times and has been joined by Akimoto Yasushi, the producer responsible for creating idol group AKB48, and Koshino Junko, one of Japan’s most highly acclaimed designers. The plan now includes 19 items, six of which are brand new. After the meeting, Inada Tomomi, minister for the Cool Japan Strategy, emphasized the importance of pulling together strategies from all the different ministries and combining them into one plan.
We’re definitely looking forward to future wacky ideas from Japan’s oh-so-serious politicians. Keep an eye out on RocketNews24 for progress updates!
Source: Asahi Shinbun Online
Original image: PM’s Official Site; Modifications: RocketNews 24
]]> https://soranews24.com/2013/06/02/cool-japan-has-a-plan/feed/ 0 60406 coolabeiscool LDP’s Education Revitalization Headquarters Compiles Draft Proposal https://soranews24.com/2013/03/25/ldps-education-revitalization-headquarters-compiles-draft-proposal/ https://soranews24.com/2013/03/25/ldps-education-revitalization-headquarters-compiles-draft-proposal/#comments Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:30:09 +0000 http://en.rocketnews24.com/?p=45945 
In an effort to develop individuals who will be active in global society, the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan’s Headquarters for the Revitalization of Education has compiled a draft proposal which includes making it a prerequisite to score above a certain number of points in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam before being allowed to enter university.
The proposal states, “The development of human resources is essential for achieving the Abe Cabinet’s most important issue, economic revitalization. Moving away from egalitarianism, strategic human resource development aimed at strengthening top achievers will be undertaken.”
In order to develop globally-active individuals, the draft recommends a three-pronged approach: drastically reforming English language education; revamping science and math education with an aim to promoting innovation and a doubling of PhDs; and enhancing education for information and communication technology.
For the English language component, the draft recommends setting a minimum score for an English proficiency test, such as TOEFL, as a university entrance requirement. To help students achieve the required grade, the proposal suggests, among other things, that class sizes be decreased by increasing the number of English teachers, and financial support be expanded to reduce the cost of studying overseas.
Additional suggestions include assigning full-time science teachers to elementary schools, and providing all elementary, junior and senior high school students with tablet computers.
The Headquarters for the Revitalization of Education plans to finalize its proposal and submit it to Prime Minister Abe this week.
Source: NHK News Web
Title image: Keepcalm-o-matic
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