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.
Here’s a look at some of the stories hitting the headlines in Osaka this week.
Table of Contents
Danger as Typhoon Approaches Osaka
The extremely slow moving, yet scarily powerful Typhoon Shan Shan, continued to edge toward Osaka this week. At the time of writing, the tenth typhoon of the year is set to make landfall on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s 4 main islands. However, the danger for Osaka is what happens next. From Thursday evening onwards, Typhoon Shan Shan will move in a north-easterly direction, bringing it directly over Osaka sometime on either Friday or Saturday.
The typhoon continues to move at a snail’s pace. It’s recorded speed as of Thursday morning was 15 kilometers per hour. However, this does not lessen the danger the massive storm poses to the population. Indeed, experts state that a slower moving storm has the potential to create even more havoc and cause greater danger for those in its path. Slower movement means longer, more intense rain storms, with the accompanying high winds. Shinkansen services, some flights and almost all non-essential delivery services have been cancelled in Kyushu for at least the next 2 days. We expect a similar series of restrictions will come into effect in Osaka over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Danger Could Drag on into Next Week
Although typhoons typically weaken into tropical storms as the make landfall, the extremely slow pace of Shan Shan creates a sense of uncertainty in this regard. There remains a strong possibility that Osaka will take as big a hit in the coming days as Kyushu is now. Police advise residents to avoid all non-essential travel from Friday August 30th until Monday. September 2nd. Local officials also advised residents to stay away from seaside areas. High waves and strong winds are likely for the next several days.
The last time such high level alerts were issued in Japan was in 2019. That October, Typhoon Hagibis caused widespread damage across much of the country.
Dentists “Ignored Danger Signs” Face Charges for Patient Death
Two dentists at a clinic in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, were told this week that they could face criminal charges. The possible indictment relates to the death of a special needs patient under their care in 2023.
17 year old Yuta Tomikawa, died after an attempt to administer general anesthetic for a routine dental procedure went tragically wrong.
The 34 year old dentist and her 55 year old supervisor, the clinic director, administered the anesthetic through a tube inserted in the patient’s nose, running down into his trachea. However, at some point the tube became dislodged, causing breathing difficulties. Both the dentist and her supervisor failed to react quickly enough to this situation. By the time emergency services were called, more than an hour after the initial problems emerged, it was too late.
By this point, Tomikawa’s blood oxygen level had dropped below 20% and he was in cardiac arrest. For reference, a normal blood oxygen level should be about 95%. Anything below 90% warrants immediate medical intervention. In Tomikawa’s case, he suffered severe brain damage due to oxygen deprivation. He finally passed away at hospital one month after the incident. The two dentists have been referred to prosecutors for severe medical negligence. Though it remains to be seen exactly what charges they will face.
And Finally…
Tennis Star Naomi Osaka continues her long trek along the comeback trail this week. She opened up her US Open campaign this past week with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian is no pushover, currently ranked 10th in the women’s world rankings. The win marks a swift return to form for Osaka after she disappointingly came unstuck in the first round of the Paris Olympics earlier this month.
The win itself is a morale booster for Osaka, but equally important, perhaps is the speed and ruthlessness with which Osaka disposed of her opponent. The match lasted just 1 hour and 4 minutes. Osaka broke her opponent’s serve 3 times, giving up no break points in response. The total lack of double faults also shows how Osaka has progressed in recent months in her efforts to eliminate unforced errors from her game.
It remains to be seen how far the former US Open champion can go in this tournament. However, she’s certainly started off on the right foot. At time of writing, her opponent in round 2 has yet to be confirmed. However, on this kind of form, Japan’s number one will fear no one.
That’s all for now but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of this week in Osaka!
