1. Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has delivered his New Year’s message in which he vowed to help a diverse public realize happiness by revitalizing regional communities, that are facing serious population declines. In the message, Ishiba says the drop in population has resulted in diminishing vitality for both regions and the economy. He says he is determined to set his regional revitalization policy in motion and rectify the excessive concentration in Tokyo to build a Japan that fulfills his pledge.
2. In the wee hours of Wednesday, New Year’s Day worshippers packed the grounds of Meiji Jingu, a major Shinto shrine in central Tokyo, praying that good luck will come their way in 2025. They began forming queues late at night on New Year’s Eve along the approach to the shrine in Shibuya Ward. With the sound of a beating drum at midnight signaling the arrival of the New Year, visitors began throwing monetary offerings into a wide fenced-in area, and then made their wishes.
3. A record low number of New Year’s greeting cards were delivered in Japan on Wednesday as 2025 began, the fewest since data became available on them in 2008. A ceremony was held to mark the start of delivery at a post office in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. After the ceremony, postal workers in traditional costumes left for their assigned areas to make deliveries.
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