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FOCUS: High School Judo in Japan Starts Moving Away from Buzz Cuts

(Adnkronos) - Osaka, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)--A hairstyle revolution appears to be brewing in high school judo clubs across Japan, with some athletes trading their traditional buzz cuts for longer styles trimmed at beauty salons. The initiative is part of the Extracurricular Club Activity Hair Salon project, undertaken by cosmetics maker Mandom Corp. in collaboration with high school students nationwide. By fostering an atmosphere in which individuality can flourish, the project aims to reinvigorate the world of judo, where the number of competitors continues to decline. Ideal Self Mandom, based in Osaka, western Japan, launched its "What Do You Think about Club Hairstyles?" initiative in 2023 under the slogan "Become What You Want to Be in Full Scale," supporting high school students in balancing self-expression with their extracurricular activities. The company has since held hair salon programs at 33 schools, covering about 15 sports and related activities, including soccer, rugby and marching band. At the events, students take part in workshops in which they write down the names of athletes they admire and describe their ideal self-image--an exercise designed to help them clarify the kind of individual they want to be. The program encourages students to consider the hairstyle they want and to explain their choice in their own words. An official at Mandom suggested that many students either give up on joining clubs or leave them after joining because of hairstyle rules that persist as unwritten norms. "It's important for students to choose their own hairstyle and have their own reasons for that choice," the official said. Working in partnership with the judo department of the All Japan High School Athletic Federation, the company held its first Extracurricular Club Activity Hair Salon program for a high school judo team in July last year, at Takagawa Gakuen in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan. Club members were given the opportunity to try new hairstyles. The project has drawn positive feedback, with participants reporting that their "performance improved" and that they "felt more positive," according to company officials. Powerhouse Schools In May this year, 35 members of the judo club at Tenri High School--a judo powerhouse in Nara Prefecture, western Japan--took part in the Extracurricular Club Activity Hair Salon program. According to Kaito Ikeda, a teacher and coach of the judo club, the school has no explicit rule requiring students to wear buzz cuts. Even so, as there had long been "a widespread atmosphere in which students felt they had to have buzz cuts," new members tend to join the club with their hair already cropped short, he said. "A buzz cut does not mean someone is serious, nor does one's hairstyle affect athletic ability," Ikeda told the club members who attended the program. "I want you to value your individuality and maintain a broad perspective, both in judo and in everyday life." Fifteen of the members stepped forward to get haircuts at a nearby beauty salon. Daisuke Takahashi, a third-year student and captain of the club, said with a smile: "It feels like a fresh start, and my mind feels clear. I want to show an even stronger Tenri team with our new hairstyles." Reflecting on the experience, Ikeda said, "They are brimming with confidence, so I'm glad we did it." He added that he hopes it will serve as a catalyst for wider change in the judo world. Hopes for Newcomers According to the All Japan Judo Federation, the number of high school members stood at about 16,700 in fiscal 2025, down a steep 40 pct from 20 years earlier. Atsushi Kodama, head of the judo department of the All Japan High School Athletic Federation, expressed a sense of crisis. "We do not know the cause, but the number of children who continue with judo is declining," he said. The judo world has long handed down a &qu

Strong Fundamentals, Distinctive Display: Inside TCL's Evolving Mobile Strategy

(Adnkronos) - BERLIN, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Smartphones now support almost every part of daily life, from communication and photography to navigation, work, entertainment, and payments. Their quality is defined not by one headline feature, but by how consistently the whole experience works. This principle shapes TCL's mobile strategy.

Bessent Expects Japan to Take Steps to Prop Up Yen

(Adnkronos) - Asheville, North Carolina, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press)--U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that he believes the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan will take measures to prop up the yen. "It's my belief that the Japanese government and that the BOJ will do the things that will lead to a stronger yen," Bessent said in an interview on U.S. broadcaster CNBC. "I have information that the market doesn't have," he added. The treasury secretary is stepping up pressure on the Japanese central bank to raise its policy interest rate. The yen is weakening despite a concerted yen-buying market intervention by Japanese and U.S. monetary authorities in late July. "I can't affect the natural equilibrium," Bessent said. "What we can do is send a signal." The U.S. Treasury Department announced in mid-August that it would raise the limit on its buyback operations for longer-dated Treasury securities, in light of rising U.S. interest rates. "My job is to make sure that the market is looking at fundamentals and that the market does not dictate policy," Bessent said in the interview. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Japan, U.S. Finance Chiefs Meet on Sidelines of G20 Meeting

(Adnkronos) - Asheville, North Carolina, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met on the sidelines of a meeting of the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs in Asheville, North Carolina, informed sources said Monday. It was their first meeting since Japanese and U.S. authorities carried out a coordinated currency market intervention in July. Bessent also held talks with Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda. Tokyo and Washington conducted a yen-buying intervention in late July to stem the Japanese currency's rapid decline. Although the yen briefly strengthened against the dollar, it has since weakened to around 160 per dollar. The U.S. government has repeatedly called on the BOJ to swiftly raise the policy interest rate amid concerns that the weak yen and falling bond prices may spur selling of U.S. Treasuries. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the joint market intervention, Bessent indicated his willingness to meet with Ueda on the sidelines of the two-day G20 meeting, which began Monday. The Japanese central bank may decide to raise its policy rate at its next policy-setting meeting in September at the earliest, analysts said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Easy Japanese in Focus as Way to Deliver Info to Foreigners

(Adnkronos) - Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)--Easy Japanese is in the spotlight as a way to disseminate information to foreigners in Japan, especially at the time of disasters such as a recent powerful earthquake that hit the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto. According to a survey targeting foreigners living in Tokyo, 41.3 pct said they want to read information written in easy Japanese, higher than 35.9 pct seeking information in English. "It's probably because the nationalities of foreigners living in Japan have diversified, and fewer people are from English-speaking countries and regions," said Nobuko Inoue of Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation Tsunagari, which conducted the survey and works to promote and raise awareness about easy Japanese. The crux of giving out information in easy Japanese is to avoid using onomatopoeia, mimetic words, words adopted from foreign languages and ambiguous expressions, and to use short and clear sentences, according to the foundation. For example, "kyanseru," which derives from the English word cancel, can be replaced with "yameru" in easy Japanese. "Moraeru," meaning "you can get," can be used for "teikyo-suru," which means to provide. In Kumamoto, people from Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam and Indonesia, account for more than half of foreign residents. "We have many people whose native languages are not English," an official of the Kumamoto prefectural government's international affairs division said. "We are trying to provide information in easy Japanese rather than in English." On July 29, the day after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake, which measured up to 7, the highest level on Japan's seismic intensity scale, WizTry, an information technology company in Kumamoto, created a website to give affected people necessary information, which includes an easy Japanese page for foreign residents. The page for foreigners says, for example: "Mizu wo kubaru basho ga arimasu. Okane wa irimasen," which means there are places where you can get water and no money is needed. WizTry President Kotaro Suematsu said he hopes the company's easy Japanese page will help foreigners who tend to be left out of information. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Opel Corsa GSE, la prova de Il Fatto.it – La compatta elettrica mette i muscoli – FOTO

C’era una volta la Opel Corsa, che al suo esordio disponeva di un motore da 45 Cv. Era il modello “base” della prima generazione, commercializzata in oltre 3,1 milioni di esemplari. Quella attuale è la sesta e nel frattempo la compatta con le insegne del Fulmine è stata venduta in più di 15 milioni di […] L'articolo Opel Corsa GSE, la prova de Il Fatto.it – La compatta elettrica mette i muscoli – FOTO proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

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Legge elettorale, tornano le preferenze, via la norma «taglia cespugli» e si lavora al ballottaggio. Vannacci: «La mossa della paura»

Domani, martedì 1, il termine per gli emendamenti al Senato, tra i dubbi della maggioranza. Prende corpo la proposta di ballottaggio, per raccogliere i consensi da Fn senza allearsi L'articolo Legge elettorale, tornano le preferenze, via la norma «taglia cespugli» e si lavora al ballottaggio. Vannacci: «La mossa della paura» proviene da Open.

Corriere muore durante una consegna, era in scadenza di contratto

A Piacenza, aveva 42 anni. Incidenti letali anche nel Varesotto e nel Ferrarese

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Teheran risponde ai raid sull'isola di Larak, missili verso la Giordania e gli Emirati

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La figlia di Brigitte Macron si è fidanzata con un ragazzo di 20 anni più giovane – Il video

La storia si ripete: Tiphaine Auzière, figlia 42enne della première dame, ufficializza sui social la storia col 22enne Antoine Lecomte L'articolo La figlia di Brigitte Macron si è fidanzata con un ragazzo di 20 anni più giovane – Il video proviene da Open.

Muro contro muro tra Roma e Madrid, Schengen resta bloccato

Controlli prorogati di 15 giorni, a Ceuta ci sono ancora criticità. Il premier spagnolo, Sanchez, accusa le reti russe e israeliane di aver diffuso 'fake news' sull'exclave

La Corte Suprema degli Stati Uniti ha confermato che i lavori per la sala da ricevimenti alla Casa Bianca potranno andare avanti

Tragedia a Mediaset, morta la 27enne volata dall’ottavo piano. L’addio in diretta a Zona Bianca: «Ciao Marta» – Il video

Il tragico episodio nel pomeriggio di lunedì a Cologno Monzese: il saluto commosso di Giuseppe Brindisi su Rete 4 L'articolo Tragedia a Mediaset, morta la 27enne volata dall’ottavo piano. L’addio in diretta a Zona Bianca: «Ciao Marta» – Il video proviene da Open.

Mosca al G20 finanziario negli Usa per la prima volta dall’invasione dell’Ucraina. Trump: “Ci piace andare d’accordo con tutti”. Proteste dell’Europa

“Ci piace andare d’accordo con tutti. Uno dei motivi per cui ho così tanto successo è che vado d’accordo con tutti”. Poche parole per smorzare le polemiche quelle che Donald Trump, dallo Studio Ovale, ha riservato a chi gli chiedeva conto della presenza dei russi al G20 finanziario di Asheville. È stata la prima volta […] L'articolo Mosca al G20 finanziario negli Usa per la prima volta dall’invasione dell’Ucraina. Trump: “Ci piace andare d’accordo con tutti”. Proteste dell’Europa proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

L’Antitrust Usa fa causa ad Amazon: «Costi occulti sulla pubblicità, 20 miliardi di ricavi illegittimi»

La Federal Trade Commission mette nel mirino il business degli annunci su Amazon: le accuse e la replica dell'azienda L'articolo L’Antitrust Usa fa causa ad Amazon: «Costi occulti sulla pubblicità, 20 miliardi di ricavi illegittimi» proviene da Open.

È morto a 97 anni Édouard Balladur, che fu primo ministro della Francia dal 1993 al 1995