Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Table of Contents
China Travel Snub Impacts Osaka
We reported last week about the ongoing diplomatic feud between China and Japan. This stemmed from comments made, first by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about defending Taiwan. This then drew an outrageous response from Osaka-based Consul General of China Xue Jian in which he appeared to threaten to decapitate the Prime Minister. Well, a knock-on effect of this whole mess came into full focus this week. China’s government issued an official advisory, recommending citizens avoid travel to Japan.
The economic impact of this for Osaka cannot be understated. A great number of the tourists on which many Osaka businesses depend for their livelihood come from China. It is unlikely that travelers from other popular countries such as Korea, The US and Taiwan will be able to fill the gap.
This is no mere threat either. Today, most likely under government coercion, a number of Chinese airlines announced they will expand their free refunds policy to cover anyone who recently booked a trip to Japan.
Reaction to Travel Advisory Mixed in Osaka
Of course, not all reaction to this diplomatic spat in Osaka is negative. Residents of both Osaka and the neighboring city of Kyoto continue to grouse about over-tourism. They feel that too many tourists who travel to their cities don’t follow local rules. They also allege these tourists engage in frequent, disruptive behavior.
We should point out that it is certainly not just Chinese tourists who commit such faux-pas. However they are the ones called out on it most often in the Japanese media.
The Covid pandemic is a fading, if still traumatic, memory for many of us. However, it still highlights just how badly Osaka’s economy could suffer if foreign tourists suddenly disappeared. Travel remains an integral part of the city’s economy.
There is a fine balancing act to be struck here. Osaka residents, much like most other Japanese are rightly proud of the welcoming and friendly image that their country enjoys. They want to continue to project this image.
However, it cannot be at the expense of residents’ own quality of life. The situation is far more acute in Kyoto. Many businesses there now seem geared exclusively to tourists, much to the chagrin of locals.
Osaka doesn’t have that problem yet. Perhaps this diplomatic spat, which I think we all know will be temporary, offers a chance for the city to reassess how it copes with the surge of inbound tourists, post-pandemic.
Drama as Court Hearing on Abe Assassin Continues
Meanwhile, at the Nara High Court, the trial of Tetsuya Yamagami, the man charged with murdering former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, continues. Yamagami is currently in custody in a maximum-security facility in Osaka.
His younger sister gave emotional testimony to the court this week. She spoke of how the religious cult The Unification Church had effectively ruined their family’s lives. This in turn fueled the grudge which Yamagami himself cited as his reasoning for gunning down the former PM with a homemade shotgun.
Abe’s exact ties to the organization remain unclear. However, subsequent investigations revealed a number of covert financial links between the cult and Abe’s political party The LDP.
With her face hidden from the public, Yamagami’s younger sister explained how her mother’s squandering of all the family’s assets in donations to the church left them destitute, and in despair.
Her other brother, committed suicide in 2015 as a result of this trauma. She said that Tetsuya Yamagami became increasingly socially withdrawn after this. The two hadn’t spoken since 2016, until after Yamagami committed the alleged assassination in 2022.
Highlighting a fatal flaw in Japan’s social safety net. When asked if she felt there was anything that could have been done to prevent the crime, she said: I looked for a consultation service in cases where parents joined a religious cult, but found no such service.
My mother is an adult and donated her own assets under her own will, so there was no way we, her children, could intervene. Tetsuya was in extreme despair, and committed the crime.”
The trial continues, with sentencing expected in January.
And Finally…
As we head into the end of autumn, Osaka residents are warned to be prepared for sub-zero temperatures and perhaps even snow in the coming days.
A significant cold snap is expected next week, as we move from autumn into the chilling winter season.
Typically, Osaka doesn’t usually see extreme cold and snow until January, but in recent years, the wintry weather has come a little sooner. Best be prepared and have those heaters at the ready!
That’s all for now but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of this week in Osaka!
