Japan

Japan sent the wrong creature to eradicate the snakes of an island. The disaster was so great that it has taken half a century to solve it

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Once again, desperate situations lead to extreme measures. Save a species Sometimes it implies “exterminating” another. We have seen it in South Africa and Your plan to annihilate miceeither Injecting radio -material material into rhinos hornscases of Wild cat huntor the plan for exterminate half a million owls. However, sometimes things do not come out as governments imagine. In Japan they know perfectly. The incident of 79. The story begins in 1979 on the Japanese island of Amami ōshima, located in Kagoshima Prefecture. That year, rediscover Amami’s rabbit (Pentalagus Furnessi), an endemic species and considered a “living fossil” due to its evolutionary seniority. Before the finding, it was thought that the rabbit was on the verge of extinction due to the loss of habitat and hunting. The discovery marked a before and after for the conservation of the species and highlighted the importance of protecting the natural environment of the island, home from many other unique species. An event that also underlined the need for higher conservation efforts in Amami ōshima, for example, trying to eradicate or control the population of snakes. A wrong “bomb”. Thus, within a few months, Japan launches a plan. Introduce about 30 mushrooms on the island With the intention of ending the population of snakes, specifically Habu (Trimeresurus flavoviridis), which represented a threat to local inhabitants. The idea, on paper, was a fissure plan: that mushrooms, which are natural snake predators, reduce the number of Habus and improve safety on the island at all levels. However, that project was far from infallible. The mushroom was not the ideal creature to eradicate snakes. In the first place, because they are active animals during the day, therefore, they could not catch the nightly hubs, who continued to inhabit the following decades without problem. What happened as a consequence had a huge ecological impact. A specimen of trimeresurus flavoviridis Depredation of endemic species. Thus, during the day, instead of focusing on the snakes, the mushrooms began to prey a wide range of native species, including several that had no natural enemies on the island until then. That seriously affected local fauna, especially endemic and endangered species, such as Amami’s same rabbit that had just announced happily months ago. Hundreds of thousands of mushrooms. The situation reached such a point, that the mushrooms, carried to eradicate a plague, had become even larger and more dangerous, one than reached around 10,000 copies At its maximum point over the year 2000. The truth is that Japan had already started a mushroom control project in 1993 that was expanding over time. As? About 30,000 traps were placed on the island to capture the animals and cameras with sensors to monitor them were installed. In addition, local residents formed the so -called Amami Mongoose Bustersa team specialized in the capture of mushrooms (they came to capture thousands). The end? In 2018 there was the last official capture of a megosta on the island. It happened in April, and since no creature has been captured for a long period of time, the panel of experts, which has the task of determining if the animal is eradicated from the island, estimated that the eradication rate It was between 98.8 and 99.8% In February of last year, reaching a preliminary conclusion that it is reasonable to say/think that mushrooms are eradicated from the island in current circumstances. Finally, on September 3, 2024, the Ministry of Environment of Japan declared The eradication of non -native mushrooms on the island of Amami-Oshima, declared a natural heritage of humanity by UNESCO. The statement was based on the opinion of the group of experts on scientific bases, taking into account that the capture of mushrooms has not been confirmed for more than six years since the last one in April 2018. A unique case. The Ministry itself did not hide the disaster that supposed the attempt to control snakes in 1979. In fact, and as the administration has announced, it is one of the largest cases in the world in which non -native mushrooms have been eradicated that had been established for so long. After the statement, the government explained that it will withdraw the traps that were placed on the island, although it will continue to watch with cameras to prevent a new group of these small creatures from between again. After all, if it took half a century to get them out of there, any contingency method is more than understandable. A version of this article is PUblicó in 2024 Image | Animalia, Tanaka Juuyoh, Patrick Randall In Xataka | We have just found a surprising remedy against Argentine ants pests: caffeine dose In Xataka | The mission impossible to control the invasive plague that is eating the European pine: biomolecules, piñones and citizen science

That Mount Fuji erupts would be catastrophic, so the Government of Japan has used AI to warn the population

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The Japanese government has published a video created with artificial intelligence that shows the devastating consequences that would have an eruption of the Mount Fuji For the 20 million inhabitants of Tokyo. The video, disseminated last Sunday by the Disaster Prevention Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, is part of a strategy to prepare the population before a natural catastrophe that, although it is not imminent, is possible. What does the video show. The simulation starts with a woman in a crowded street that receives an alert on her mobile informing her that the volcano has erupted. “The moment can come without prior notice,” warns the narrative before showing huge columns of smoke leaving the Fuji. The images generated by AI show how volcanic ash would arrive in Tokyo in just two hours, covering buildings and vehicles, and plunging the capital in the dark even during the day. Why now. Japan is in the Fire belt Del Pacífico, an area of ​​intense seismic and volcanic activity. The country houses 111 of the approximately 1,500 active volcanoes in the world. Mount Fuji, who for centuries erupted every 30 years approximately, He has been asleep since the known as Hoei eruption of 1707. The authorities have intensified the alert tone in the last year, especially after warning in January that there is 80% probability that A severe earthquake hits The Nankai pit region in the next 30 years. The economic and social impact. According to Official estimatesa large -scale rash would produce 1.7 billion cubic meters of volcanic ash, of which about 490 million would accumulate on roads, buildings and other surfaces. Economic losses could reach 2.5 billion yen (about 14,200 million euros). The ash would cause the collapse of wooden buildings with little load capacity, paralyze rail transport, cut the electricity supply and hinder the distribution of essential foods and products. Reactions found. We have had the reactions of all kinds. While some users in networks They have expressed His concern: “The idea that volcanic ash causes chaos in the transport of Tokyo’s metropolitan area is terrifying,” others have criticized the approach for which the government has opted, considering it as alarmist. “It tends to be used to stir a feeling of crisis and fear”, commented Another user. Practical preparation. The Government recommends to residents of areas near the Fuji maintain essential supplies for two weeks. The simulation includes a family scenes preparing pantries with canned food and first aid kit. However, some citizens indicate the practical difficulties of these measures, especially during Japanese summers, when temperatures reach Suffocating levels and an electric cut would be especially problematic. Cover image | Caleb Jack In Xataka | Science already knows what has been the worst year in the history of mankind. And there is surprise: it did not depend on humanity

Europe and Japan advance unstoppable towards nuclear fusion. His last achievement reminds us why we don’t have it yet

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The experimental reactor of nuclear fusion JT-60SA resides in Naka, a small city not very far from Tokyo (Japan). Its construction began in January 2013, but did not do it from scratch; He did it taking as a starting point the JT-60 reactor, his precursor, a machine that came into operation in 1985 and that for more than three decades has reached very important milestones in the field of merger energy. The JT-60SA assembly ended at the beginning of 2020, and since the end of 2023 it is ready to start The first tests with plasma. This machine is a device Tokamak that like jet and The future iter It resorts to the magnetic confinement of the ionized plasma that contains the deuterium and tritium nuclei to trigger nuclear fusion reactions. Whatever this machine is titanic. Colossal. In fact, it has a height of 15.4 meters and a diameter of 13.7 meters. However, the most shocking are the “specifications” that allow us to train an idea about their performance. And it is able to confine a plasma with a volume of 130 m³, as well as to generate a 2,25 teslas toroidal magnetic field and hold a current inside the plasma of 5.5 mA (5.5 million amps). These figures are shocking, and presumably when Iter is ready to start the first tests with plasma their figures will be even more impressive. Of course, during the next months already measure that the reactor JT60-SA deliver its first results we will develop with great detail. JT-60SA already has one of the most advanced diagnostic systems that exist On April 22, the latest components needed by Japanese and European engineers who work in the reactor to assemble the Thomson dispersion diagnostic system arrived at the JT-60SA facilities. Every time the researchers operating this very complex machine carry out an experiment with it need to know with the maximum possible precision the temperature and density of the plasma electrons. The components of the Thomson Dispersion Measurement Team have been designed and manufactured in Italy, Romania and Japan The main problem they face is that it is not possible to obtain this data taking direct measures. In order for the merger of the deuterium and tritium nuclei to take place, it is necessary that the plasma that contains them a temperature of At least 150 million degrees Celsiusand any sensor that contacts him at this temperature will not survive. This is the reason why the engineers of the JT-60SA reactor have been forced to set up an extraordinarily sophisticated diagnostic system. The components of the Thomson dispersion measurement team have been designed and manufactured in Italy, Romania and Japan. Broadly speaking, this ingenuity manages to measure the temperature and density of plasma electrons analyzing the light that emits with a high -power laser beam dispersed, precisely, by the plasma electrons themselves. Somehow the interaction between the laser and plasma is what allows engineers indirectly calculating temperature and density. The JT-60SA reactor will have two diagnostic systems of Thomson’s dispersion. The nucleus has been developed in Japan, and the edge of the plasma has been devised in Europe. Both are currently being installed, and, if everything goes well, this machine will have in a few months one of the diagnostic and measurement equipment more advanced that exist. The nuclear fusion no longer raises any challenge from the point of view of fundamental physics. If we still have no commercial fusion energy reactors, it is due to the fact that this technology still requires solving several challenges in the field of engineering. The tuning of this diagnostic system was one of them. Image | QST More information | Eurofusion In Xataka | The Jet reactor has successfully completed its final tests with deuterium and tritium. It is a crucial milestone for nuclear fusion

There is an F-35 stranded in Japan and nobody manages to start it

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In the middle of July a news began To “get ball” in the United States and the United Kingdom. A brand new F-35b by Lockheed Martin and belonging to the British Navy was stranded more than a month In India. Since then until now, the almighty American company has happened to the problems: Negative of Spain For the purchase of a lot of fighters, the doubts from other countries And finally, a Second F-35 stranded. The problem is that there continues, without leaving Japan. An emergency detour. A F-35B of the United Kingdom, deployed aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales within the framework of the Highmast operation, Continue stranded In Japan after having forced an emergency landing at Kagoshima airport on August 10 due to a technical failure in flight. The device was transferred to a shooting street and no injuries were reported, although six commercial flights They suffered delays. Engineers of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force have already inspected it and confirmed that it is waiting for spare parts to be repaired, reviving doubts about the fragility of the global supply chain of the supplies of the supplies of the supply of F-35 programdespite the fact that both the body of American Marines and Japan operate the same model in the region. A problem history. As we said at the beginning, the episode occurs shortly after another detour, This time in Indiawhere a second F-35b British was stranded for more than a month, and adds to the long list of incidents associated with the furtive plane. Although the British Ministry of Defense insists that both failures They are not related and that these types of situations are part of the routine of naval operations (where it is often safer to take land in nearby airfields than to try a risky apontaje on the aircraft carrier), the truth is that the coincidence has intensified the Public and political scrutiny About the program. The memory of 2021 accidentwhen an F-35B of the HMS Queen Elizabeth crashed in the Mediterranean for the obstruction of an air intake, it is still weighing on the reputation of the hunt. The operation and strategic role. The Highmast operation It represents one of the most important deployments of British naval aviation in the Indo-Pacific, with 18 F-35b embarked, from RAF squadrones and Royal Navy, to which at least one device of the US Marines body is added. The campaign already included maneuvers in Australian waters during the TALISMAN EXERCISE SABREand later joint exercises in Japan and South Korea under the name of Hightower. One of the milestones was the first operation of British fighters from a Japanese ship, the Kagaadapted to receive Stovl aircraft such as the F-35B, a symbolic gesture of the growing naval cooperation in the region against China. A “of all” hunt. For Lockheed Martin, the story puts them again in the Diana in a month of August complicated where the news has happened with the hunt as the protagonist. The funny thing is that we talk about a combat plane that, being “made in USA”, is actually built under A multinational program. Yes, the F-35 Lightning II is actually the most international combat program in history, with more than 1,900 suppliers spread over a dozen countries. Conceived since its origin as a multirrol plane for the three branches of the country’s armed forces and for strategic allies, established association levels: The United Kingdom as the only partner of Level 1, Italy and Netherlands at level 2, and Australia, Canada, Denmark and Norway at level 3, to which Japan and Israel are added through special agreements. Most devices are assembled in Fort Worth (Texas), but there are assembly and verification centers in Cameri (Italy) and Nagoya (Japan), with production lines adapted to regional demand. The European contribution. The United Kingdom is the Major foreign taxpayerresponsible for about 15% of each plane and 10% of development costs. Companies such as Rolls-Royce (manufacturer of the F-35B lifting system) and Martin-Baker (ejectable seat supplier) complement the decisive participation of Bae Systemswhich produces rear fuselages, queues, electronic warfare systems, antennas and much of the mission software. Italy, through from Leonardonot only manufactures optical components, radios and motor parts, but also hosts the only European final assembly line. The Netherlands, With GKN FokkerThey produce flaperones, braking systems, electrical wiring and manage spare parts for more than 500 European fighters. The rest. Australia manufactures Vertical lines, actuating systems and more than 700 components in the state of Victoria, with more than 70 local companies involved. Norway provides air-air pylons and vertical edges, while Finland supplies front fuselage sections. Japan assembles its own F-35a in Nagoya and produces some pieces domestically, although it is not clear how many are exported. Israel, unique case, not only manufactures components valued at more than 2,000 million dollars (such as external wings, fuel deposits and electronic warfare systems), but also The F-35i Adir operatesthe only authorized version to be deeply modified, with plains, weapons and its own communications. Contractors in the USA. In the United States, Lockheed Martin coordinates and assembles airplanes, but the bulk of the content comes of associated giants. Northrop Grumman produces central fuselage, AN/APG-81 radar and communications systems, with a participation between 20 and 25% per device. RTX, through Pratt & Whitney, supplies the F135 engines, while Raytheon provides armament and advanced sensors. Other actors such as Honeywell, L3harris or Curtiss-Wright have key papers in specific systems. The great absent is Boeing, whose X-32 lost the contest in front of Lockheed X-35; Today its role is limited to minor work as a subcontractor, while concentrating its efforts in the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the F-15Ex and its F/A-XX future. Between symbolism and fragility. Back to the case in Japan, that two fifth generation fighters have been out of service during the same cruise does not constitute an operational disaster, but it does feed the Vulnerability perception in a program already controversial for their cost overruns, … Read more

Japan is saturating from the hordes of foreign tourists. So in the country they have begun to give them free flights

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Japan is filling with tourists. Only during the first half of the year added 21.5 million of foreign visitors, 21% more than during the same period of 2024. There are many. Many. Enough to he overwhelming It has become a Debate theme priority and be giving wings to the formation of extreme right Sanseitō, who managed to stand out in the July elections with the motto “Japan first”. The problem is that, far from being distributed in the country, that tide of visitors is concentrated in certain mass points. There are those who want to solve it giving flights To tourists. What happened? That Japan Airlines (JAL), one of Japan’s main airlines, has had An idea peculiar so that foreign tourism becomes more bearable to the country’s mass destinations: give tickets. Literally. The idea is that foreigners visiting Japan have free flights that encourage them to go beyond Tokyo or Osaka and explore less known corners, such as Sapporo, Naha either Hakuba. The goal is double: relieve pressure at the busiest points in the country and, incidentally, give a small push to foreigners to visit places that would never include in their itineraries. What do they propose? The first thing to clarify is that it is not a new campaign. Aviation Wire I already talked about her in October 2024but with mass tourism in the center of the debate and Japan turned into one of the most demanded destinations in the world, the campaign has gained popularity again. In recent weeks, media have talked about it as Soranews24, Time out or the specialized website Travel and Tour Worldconfirming that the initiative was launched in autumn without completion date. The idea too He has echoed in Spain. What are your details? The campaign consists of giving national flights to foreign tourists so that they can move through Japan, although (as usually happens) it has a small print. It is not available for all visitors and even those who can opt for it must meet before A series of requirements. From the entry the offer is available to users of certain countries, such as the United States, Canada, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam or the Philippines, inter alia. In addition, the beneficiary travelers must reserve on their own the international round trip from their country of origin. Once in Japan it is when they can opt for one of the national tickets of JAL promotion, which must include in the same reserve. TTW precise An extra detail that demonstrates how the campaign aspires to relieve pressure in the most busy cities in the country: those visitors flying from the US, Canada, Mexico or China and decide to remain more than 24 hours in the city where they land (usually tokyo) must pay a rate of $ 100. Why is it important? Beyond the details of the campaign or if it really goes on account or not foreign tourists, Jal’s idea is interesting for another reason: it shows Japan’s attempts to make tourists’ avalanche more assumed and do not saturate its most popular destinations. That the initiative has had so much impact is also explained by who spears it: Japan Airlines is one of the main country airlines and on its website presume that your group has a total of 133 national routes and 66 international connections. This wide network of domestic connections is what intends to take advantage of foreigners explore places in the country less popular than Tokyo or the Las Geishas neighborhood of Kyoto, like ski slopes of Nisekothe reefs of Okinawathe mountains of Hakuba either Tomamu or the natural landscapes of Hearbetween a long (very long) and so on. In his favor he has the Encrying From Japan Rail Pass (JRP), which makes the plane win attractive in determining routes. So much tourism in Japan? Yes. The latest official statistics show that during the first half of the year he received 21.5 million of foreign tourists, a surprising fact for two reasons. The first, because it is a record for the country. The second, because it represents an increase of 21% with respect to the same semester of 2024, which gives an idea of the accelerated rhythm to which the sector is growing. Only in June the flow of foreign visitors grew by 7.6%. That boom has come accompanied by the arrival of Millions of dollarsbut has also submitted to the country (especially the most massive destinations) to A pressure that has electorally fed the formation of the extreme right Sanseito, which relies on A speech antituristic and antimigratory. The clearest example of that overwhelming It is located in three busy places: the Fuji, where They have started to charge a rate; The neighborhood of the Geishas de Kyoto, where They have prohibited to “paparazzi tourists”; And Fujikawaguchiko, who has had to cover his views to avoid the hordes of tourists to hunt the best Selfie. Does it work to give flights? It does not seem. As the statistics demonstrate, Japan continues to win tourists and Tokyo remains in The lists of the busiest places. The director of JapaneseLaura Tomàs, acknowledges in An interview with The confidential that the campaign also has some clear weak points. “The routes do not always fit the schedules, the information is not clearly communicated and in many cases the tourist ends up opting for the known.” Images | Matt Cramblett (UNSPLASH), Nomadic Julien (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | Japan will copy Venice to stop mass tourism. Two levels of transport price: the tourist pays more

In 2024 Japan introduced autonomous buses. Now 68% of the prefectures want one

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Urban mobility is immersed in a process not only of change, but of revolution. When electrification still has not advanced to the combustion car in All countriesthere are already those who move file in the autonomous driving. And not with Promises like ‘Robotaxi‘, but with autonomous vehicles that are already circulating in the cities. Japan is an example of this and, after months testing an autonomous bus on a very specific route, almost 70% of the country’s prefectures want to. And it is not because ‘Mole’: Japan is one of those countries that, almost more than any other, needs public vehicles without driver. Autonomy Level 4. At the end of December last year, A driver without a driver began to cover A route of 800 meters between the stations of Takahama Eki-MAE and the terminal of the port of Matsuyama. It would repeat the path 60 times a day and, although its figures are modest (12 passengers and a speed of 35 km/h), it has become an example for something very concrete: it has level 4 autonomy. The vehicle is quite bland, but it is up to sensors and AI systems that allow analyzing everything that happens around it in real time. It is what allows you to operate on its own, even in danger situations, and Five levels of autonomy which establishes the Society of Automotive Engineers, this minibus is almost at the maximum level. Although there is a Operator ‘Vigía’. Buses. The manufacturers have put the batteries, since Japan made a review of the Road Traffic Law with which, as of April 1, 2023, they allowed the use of level 4 autonomous vehicles on public roads. Several companies put themselves to it and, apart from the mentioned Matsuyama line, other companies are offering an internal bus service, all with level 4 certification. They are very specific journeys such as Haneda Innovation City In Tokyo, with a level 4 bus that leads at a maximum speed of 12 km/h in an internal circuit of 800 meters or those of Tier IV that already They operate A continuous service between Komatsu station and Komatsu airport. Expansion. The government itself is promoting The expansion of this technology, setting objectives such as establishing services at the regional level in at least 50 locations by the end of this 2025 and in more than a hundred by 2030. The priority is mobility services such as buses or taxis, not so much private or logistics vehicles. He liked it. Both the measures and the operation of these buses have liked, so much that almost 70% of Japanese prefectures They are considering Adopt level 4 buses to guarantee the mobility of the inhabitants, especially in poorly populated areas to which it perhaps does not ‘rent’ so much to send a bus operated by a human. And is there any benefit to the traveler himself? At the moment, the studies point to rates that are not very different from those that are applied in conventional services, but the savings for the traveler is estimated at 11% for bus trips and up to 61% for taxi trips as technology evolves, matures and settles. But of course, that is the estimated thing, another song will be that companies apply sales as the product costs them less. Need. And the most important thing about this expansion of autonomous buses, at least in Japan, is that it is not simply to apply technology for applying or saving jobs. It is something that responds to a real need: Japan has no workers. Long and tendency we have treated the demographic winter that the country is living and the measures they are adopting (some more effective than others) to relaunch birth. The problem is that The population is very aged, There are no young workers And that is why Robots are used either Autonomous systems. And not only urban mobility, since it is raising that the first ‘bullet train’ debut in 2029. And it is not that it is unique in the world (years ago We already got on one in Malaga), But as we say, in the case of Japan we are talking about something crucial because, if there are no workers, the robots will have to assume the task. Image | Iyotetsu In Xataka | The autonomous driving was the great absent in the presentation of the Xiaomi Yu7 and there is a reason: the Chinese government

Japan thought he had touched back on his birth crisis. I didn’t know how wrong it was wrong

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He has tried pulling a checkbook And even acting as Celestinabut Japan has encountered a seemingly irresoluble problem: birth. The country has gone from demographic winter to the debacle without palliative. That is at least the reading left by the latest government data, which reveal that in just one year (from January 2024 to January 2025) the population of Japanese citizens has been reduced in More than 900,000 peoplethe biggest fall Since at least 1968. There is only one positive indicator: immigration. A fact: 908,574. Talking about birth in Japan for a long time is to talk about falls, pessimistic forecasts and a future full of unknowns. It is nothing new, but that does not prevent when your government publishes official data, as has happened This Wednesdaythe demographic debacle continues to surprise. And rightly. According to the data of the Ministry of Interior, in 2024 the country lost neither more nor less than 908,574 inhabitants, which leaves the census of Japanese citizens in 120.65 million. Far, far from 126.6 million which it reached in 2009. More than a blow. The data is bad in itself and does not improve when it is put in context. As Remember Kyodo News It is the 16th consecutive year in which the census of Japanese citizens fall, a trend that seems to have no softening visos. On the contrary. The 2024 was the greatest demographic collapse of the statistical series, which starts in 1968. You have to go back to that same decade to find a lower birth record than the one scored last year: 687,689. In the opposite pole, the number of deaths (almost 1.6 million) stood at maximum. A percentage: 59%. Demography is not simple statistical theory, it is directly connected to the country’s economy. And that is something that government data makes it very clear: after years of population debacle and with the Gripada Birth engine, Japan has found that barely 59% of its population It is at work age (between 15 and 64), significantly below the world average, which is around 65%, according to the latest estimates of the OECD. With less and less native population of working age and a society in full aging, the panorama facing the country is the least challenging. In fact there are those who warn that a ‘red line’ is crossing. Some authors point out that 2025 will mark the point at which the population born during The Baby Boom In the late 40s, an age in which the percentage of the working population collapses and increases that of those who require care is exceeded. That turning point even has a name: The “problem 2025”. And what does that suppose? That in practice it is quite likely that from now on Japan will meet “a sudden increase” of elders who need care, which will result in “a significantly greater burden for workforce,” warns An IPEI report. As for what he will mean for public coffers, years ago the government has accounts and already calculated that between 2025 and 2040 the general costs of social care will shoot 60%. How to solve it? The big question. Japan has been deploying a range of measures to encourage their birth and reverse their demographic crisis. And that happens so much to dedicate Millions of resources to programs Pronatality and raising aids as encourage the paternal casualties or ease May young people find a partner. It is nothing new or exclusive to Japan. In South Korea, China either Russia Governments have launched similar campaigns with Disrupt results. In the background, however, a key question underlies, such as I already pointed out in 2023 The BBC chain: Increasing the birth of a country is a matter of money? Do the ‘baby checks’ or the paternal casualties? To what extent do these factors influence and how much depends on more structural ones, such as the difficulties in accessing broad homes, labor philosophy, gender inequalities, the cost of life or simply a cultural change that no longer prioritizes motherhood? A word: immigration. Not all demographic indicators in Japan are in red numbers. Moreover, there is one that grew last year until reaching record values: that of the foreign residentsthose people from other countries with permission to remain in Japan for at least three months. According to government data, your number grew by 10.65% (354,089 people) until adding 3.68 million. The records had never reached such a high figure. In practice that means that foreigners already represent almost 3% of the total population, another figure that had never been achieved before. Japan Times Precise that in 2024 661,800 people were moved from abroad, which shows that the fall experienced by this registry during the pandemic, especially in 2021 and 20022. If there are both Japanese citizens and the foreign population, the total census of residents in the country is taken into account. 124.3 millionapproximately 554,000 less than the previous year. Why is it important? Because the influx of foreigners has served for more than softening the country’s demographic bleeding. It also involves a chute of energy for its economy. 85.77% of foreign residents are of working age, a significant percentage for a country with a birth problem and that has been aging years. The increase in immigration also has certain challenges. Its increase coincides with the rise of the ultra -right party Sanseitowho has campaigned by flying the motto of “The Japanese first.” Image | JJ Ying (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | More and more Japanese women decide to marry men from South Korea. And there is something that explains it: the K-Pop

Japan has been teaching tsunamis evacuation routes for years for years in the most Japanese way possible: with video games

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The memory is fragile, especially under the panic of a tsunami alert. But the Japanese have shown that they are prepared to evacuate the coastal areas. It is no accident. Japan has been exploring innovative methods for years to train its citizens. Context. He Magnitude earthquake 8.7 near the Kamchatka Peninsula He has put on the entire east coast of Japan, forcing almost two million people to evacuate their homes. Although the waves did not exceed the meter and a half, the sirens reminded the Japanese an uncomfortable truth: when the water approaches, every second and each decision tells. And that is precisely the problem of drills: people do not always pay their attention. Given this challenge, several Japanese universities have been developing and perfecting a solution that unites the most vital need in case of Tsunami with one of the largest passions in the country: video games. The 2011 memory. To understand why Japan has been trying to “gamify” the evacuations, you just have to look back, to the 2011 earthquake. That disaster, which left more than 22,000 dead and missing, revealed the critical failures in the evacuation plans. More than 60% of the evacuees used their car, convinced that they would reach a safe place faster. The result was a predictable chaos: monumental traffic jams that caught thousands of people in flood areas. The reality is stubborn. Although the authorities usually recommend evacuating on foot, recent surveys showed that about 50% of the Japanese would come back into the car against a Tsunami alert. This creates an incredibly dangerous scenario, where pedestrians and vehicles compete in a race desperate for survival. It is in this context where digital drills make more sense. They can recreate the chaos of a mixed evacuation of cars and pedestrians to levels to which a physical simulation does not arrive, managing to train citizens for the real dangers they will face. Virtual reality and unreal Engine. The Nippon Institute of Technology developed a simulator with an aseptic name: application of evacuation training against Tsunamis. Based on real evacuation techniques, it is not an action video game, but a virtual reality application based on the Unreal Engine 4 graphic engine that puts the user in real Japan locations with a high risk of Tsunami. The simulator asks you: “What should you notice in this situation?” and the user must touch on the screen the element that considers a risk or an opportunity. It can be a traffic light, a tall building designated as a refuge, a pedestrian about to crossly cross or a car that skips a stop. To motivate users to practice daily, the app incorporates gamification elements, such as a stamps system for completing training with constancy. Do you really work? To validate their effectiveness, the researchers conducted an experiment with 25 citizens of Nishio. First, the participants carried out a virtual evacuation in an immersive simulator, equipped with a virtual reality helmet (HTC Vive Pro Eye) for foot evacuations and a car wheel. Their behavior was measured and asked what they considered important during an evacuation. The results, published in the magazine GeosciencesThey were revealing. After using the app, the participants were much faster and more effective when identifying immediate hazards in their surroundings, such as pedestrians or other vehicles. However, they still had difficulty detecting important but distant elements, such as a hospital or a high building that served as a refuge. Their attention focused on what they had right ahead, especially the elderly, who took longer to respond and had lower success rates.

That another tsunami reaches the coasts of Japan

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The west of the Pacific has witnessed this morning of a great earthquake with epicenter off the coasts of the Kamchatka Peninsula. While for now there have been no victims, numerous areas of the Pacific coast They have activated alerts for the risk of tsunami. Among them, the densely populated coasts of Japan, where alert can bring memories of what lived in 2011. The earthquake. The earthquake, of magnitude 8.8occurred around 11:25 at local time, or 1:25, Spanish peninsular time (23:25 UTC). After the central event there have been a series of replicas in the area, one of which It has reached magnitude 6.9. The last replica detected by the United States Geological Service (USGS) has occurred at 12:13, Spanish time (22:13 local time), and has been a movement with magnitude 5.2. The event also had its precedents: the area had registered a high seismicity in the previous 10 days. A few hours earlier, at 4:59 PM, Spanish peninsular time (02:59 local time), A movement was recorded of magnitude 4.8 in the coastal region. The earthquake and its replicas have occur More than 180,000 inhabitants) and capital of the administrative region in which the Peninsula is located. Magnitude 8.8. Today’s has been the largest earthquake recorded from the earthquake Magnitude 9 which caused in 2011 a tsunami that swept part of the east coast of Japan. There is one Inverse relationship between the magnitude of an earthquake and the probability of being such an event. For example, the earthquakes of magnitude 8 occur, on average, once a year, while in an average year we can expect that some 1,500 earthquakes of magnitude 5 will occur globally. We do not know exactly how much energy the event has released, But based on USGS data We can estimate that it could be the equivalent of more than 7 billion tons of TNT. A new tsunami? The earthquake has activated alarms throughout the Pacific coast but especially in neighboring Japan. The coast of the Asian country is still under different levels of alert by Tsunami: about two million people have been calls to evacuate your residence or work areas due to risk which implies sea level rise. According to The local media reports Japan Timestowards the end of the afternoon waves of up to 1.3 meters had been recorded, but the country is still on alert since the waves can reach three meters. This implies an important risk for people, goods and infrastructure, but is far from the 40 meters of tsunami that swept the country’s coast in 2011. Another reassuring factor is that the distance from the earthquake has given the authorities time to react and avoid major problems. The Fire Ring. Both the earthquake and tsunami of 2011 and today have occurred in The so -called “Fire Ring”a region of high seismic activity that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. This is a meeting region between the Pacific tectonic plate and the surrounding plates. Throughout this border region there are numerous failures in which this meeting is particularly dynamic, causing high seismicity and high volcanism. An active peninsula. According to Explain the USGSin the area where the match has occurred, the peaceful plaque moves to the west-northwest with respect to the American plate with a speed of about 80 mm per year. Fruit of the high seismicity of this environment, the Kamchatca Peninsula has an abundant amount of volcanoes. Volcanoes that, located in a remote and relatively depopulated area, make up a natural place whose uniqueness led Unesco to add them to your list of the World Heritage. In Xataka | China will resurrect the technology that was believed a legend: the eight dragons that detect the lands of the earth Image | USGS

Tsunami’s alert is leading people to get on the roofs of Japan. It is a good idea, but only at the beginning

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A Magnitude earthquake 8.8 that, according to experts, it could be the largest registered sixth, hit the northern Pacific In front of Russia at dawn on Wednesday, which caused Tsunami alerts and evacuations in Hawaii, Alaska, California and Japan, and left millions of people anxiously waiting anxiously waves that, according to meteorologists, could reach 3 meters in some places. In fact, in Japan there are already people AGOLPADA on the roofs. A good idea, at first. Causes and natures. Tsunamis are phenomena of great destructive power that, in most cases, originates after An underwater earthquakewhen an abrupt movement of tectonic plates displaces huge volumes of water and generates waves that spread in all directions such as waves in a pond. Although not all coastal earthquakes produce tsunamis, those that manage to be generated may have devastating consequences in nearby areas and, sometimes, sometimes travel thousands of kilometers At the speed of a commercial plane, wreaking havoc in places far from the epicenter, as it is. All these guidelines are occurring after The earthquake in Russia. Coming. In an open sea they can go unnoticed for a ship, but when approaching the coast, the waves increase its height and acquire destructive potential. In addition to earthquakes, tsunamis can be triggered by volcanic eruptions or, more rarely, due to weather alterations that modify atmospheric pressure, giving rise to the so -called meteotsunamis, such as the one in 1954 mortally surprised to bathers In Lake Michigan. Early forecast and detection. Although earthquakes They cannot be predictedimmediate monitoring after its occurrence allows to assess whether there is a risk of tsunami. For this, a global network of underwater sensors is used that detect minimal pressure variations, together with computer models capable of projecting the possible route and strength of the waves. In this way, governments and alert centers activate emergency systems that include sirens, radio, television or official applications. Approximately 80% of tsunamis They are generated in the Pacific Ocean, particularly in the call Fire beltwhile the Atlantic and the Caribbean represent just 10%. In the United States, although rare, the west coast is the most vulnerable: History records mortal episodes as The 1946 tsunamicaused by an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands, which ended the lives of five people in Alaska and about 160 in Hawaii. Preventive preparation and measures. The International organizations insist on the importance of Citizen preparation. The main thing: It is recommended to know the community evacuation plans and practice the planned routes, as well as identify the flood areas by tsunamis in each locality. It is also advisable to have multiple ways To receive emergency alerts, either through NOAA radios, official applications or local warning systems. In words of specialistseach person must “know their threat”, that is, be aware of whether their place of residence is within a risk area. How to act before an imminent alert. Thus we reach the current situation. If an earthquake occurs, the first thing is shock: bend down, cover under a solid table or object and stay in position until the movement ceases. Then, if there is a risk of tsunami, the instructions of the authorities must be obeyed and moved as quickly as possible to High and remote areas of the sea. However, experience shows that waiting for an official notice It can be lethalrecognizing natural signals can save lives. Namely: a tremor so strong that prevents standing, a rumble from the ocean or a sudden and unusual decline in water on the coast. It should be remembered that not all tsunamis begin with that setback: on many occasions, the first wave that arrives is directly the crestwithout prior notice. In such circumstances, the only safe option is the immediate self -evacuationsince even a couple of minutes of delay can make the difference between life and death. And get on a roof? The images that are being making viral With gutting people on roofs close to the coast it is a resource that can save lives in certain circumstances, but it is not the ideal option and should be understood very carefully. The main agencies Emergency management (such as NOAA, the Pacific tsunamis alert, JMA or UNESCO/COI) agree that the priority recommendation is always evacuated towards Earlier Land and as far from the possible sea. However, the same agencies recognize that when time is extremely limited or there are no safe routes available, looking for height In solid structures It can be the only viable alternative. The Japanese case. Obviously, in the case of Japan, a country with a long history of tsunamis and a high degree of preparation, many coastal cities They have built what they call “vertical evacuation structures”: reinforced concrete buildings or towers specifically designed for Resist the impact of waves of great magnitude. In fact, the JMA and local governments instruct the population to, if it is not possible An accepted strategy. After the devastating Tsunami of 2011which swept a large part of the Tōhoku region, the construction of these intensified Vertical shelters and the signaling that indicates which buildings comply with the standards to support waves up to several meters high. The “but.” The problem is that not all roofs are safe. For example, getting into a small building, poorly built or close to the coast can be even more dangerous: water can exceed the structure, weaken its foundations or drag it. Studies of the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program In the United States and UNESCO (in their guidelines) they point out that only the buildings designed or evaluated for this purpose must be considered shelters. In areas where there are no certified constructions, the safest option remains the same: move horizontally to high ground. Image | YouTube In Xataka | A tsunami devastated Sevilla 1,800 years ago. It is the proof that not even Andalusia is free of tsamotes In Xataka | The Balearic Islands are at the gates of one of the most disturbing phenomena of the Mediterranean: the “Meteotsunamis”

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