April 20, Thursday, 2023

1. Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force has named a replacement for the head of its 8th Division who was on board a missing GSDF helicopter. The helicopter dropped off radar on April 6 near Miyakojima Island in Okinawa Prefecture. The 10 personnel onboard included Sakamoto Yuichi, who headed the 8th division. 2.A new ceasefire between rival factions fell apart Wednesday night in Sudan. Japanese government officials say they are getting ready to airlift around 60 nationals from the country as deadly clashes continue.
3. More than 1.8 million foreign visitors arrived in Japan in March, up 23 percent from the previous month. The Japan National Tourism Organization sys 466,800 were from South Korea, the most from any country or region. The second highest was Taiwan, with 278,900, followed by the United States with 203,000.