Overview
- Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology said it will revise its 1997 guidance to respect donor‑conceived people’s right to know origins and to encourage opportunities for adult contact with sperm donors, with a decision expected at the June meeting.
- Updated demographic reporting shows 10 of 20 designated cities have already shrunk over the past decade and projects decline in all but Fukuoka and Kawasaki by 2050, raising concerns over tax bases and welfare services; 52 of 62 core cities also fell over ten years.
- The newly formed centrist party Chudo Kaikaku Rengo left “nuclear zero” out of its platform and instead backs conditional reactor restarts while aiming long term to reduce dependence, narrowing distinctions with the pro‑nuclear governing camp.
- In Hokkaido’s House races, women comprise 16 of 54 candidates for a record 29.6 percent since the 1996 system change, and severe winter conditions are forcing campaigns in the 10th district to cut or relocate street speeches.
- Sports highlights include Nasa Hataoka leading the LPGA season opener after a first‑round 66, Elena Rybakina winning the Australian Open women’s singles, a men’s SV League All‑Star game drawing over 9,000 fans in Kobe, and former top‑division sumo Mito‑ryu holding his retirement hair‑cutting ceremony.