July 7, Friday, 2023

1. A Japanese group of dementia patients and their families is seeking the speedy approval in Japan of a drug for Alzheimer’s disease. The United States fully approve lecanemab on Thursday. It was jointly developed by Japanese pharmaceutical firm Eisai and its US partner Biogen. 2. A group of foreign residents of western Japan’s Tokushima Prefecture is preparing to join one of the country’s leading summer dance festivals in August. The Awa Odori features groups of dancers wearing summer kimonos or Japanese happi coats performing to the lively tune of chimes, drums, flutes and “shamisen” strings.
3. Japan’s independent committee tasked with protecting personal information says it will conduct an onsite inspection at the Digital Agency. This comes after errors were made when some My Number national ID cards were processed. The Digital Agency was created by the government to speed up digitalization in Japan. As of July 4th, 940 cases had been confirmed in which an individual’s national ID number was linked to a stranger’s bank account. Such bank accounts are used to receive pension payments and other benefits.