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Daisaku Ikeda, head of global Japanese Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai, dies at 95
Daisaku Ikeda, who headed Soka Gakkai, a Japanese Buddhist organization, that includes Herbie Hancock and other celebrities in its fold, has died

Japan Supreme Court strikes down sterilization surgery for official gender change
The court has ruled that a law requiring transgender people to undergo sterilization surgery in order to officially change their gender is unconstitutional.
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Soil from Portland helps memorialize Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII
A new project to memorialize the 125,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII will include soil from 75 former internment sites including one in Portland. Chisao Hata joined OPB to talk about the legacy of Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest and her participation in the Irei monument project.

Portland Japanese Garden visitors mourn Shinzo Abe
Vistors convened at the Portland Japanese Garden this week to honor the life of a Japanese leader assassinated earlier this month, and reflect on the ties that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his family had to the Pacific Northwest.

Japan says final goodbyes to former leader Shinzo Abe at his funeral
Japanese people bid their final goodbye to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday as a funeral was held at a temple days after his assassination that shocked the nation.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assassinated at campaign rally
Shinzo Abe had been Japan's longest-serving prime minister and remained a force in politics after stepping down in 2020.

The world’s oldest person, Japan’s Kane Tanaka, dies at age 119
Kane Tanaka, who was born in 1903, held the title of oldest person alive for the past three years. She died Tuesday at a hospital in western Japan.
Japan Institute breaks old ground for new cultural center in Portland
The Portland Japanese Garden's sister organization the Japan Institute will soon have a new home thanks to a multimillion dollar project aimed at promoting peace and cultural understanding between the United States and Japan.

Japan’s former princess leaves for US with commoner husband
A Japanese princess who gave up her royal status to marry her commoner college sweetheart has arrived in New York as the couple left behind a nation that has criticized their romance.

Japan adding more hospital beds in plan for next virus surge
Japan’s preparations for the next coronavirus surge include adding thousands more hospital beds to avoid a situation like last summer when many COVID-19 patients were forced to stay home, even when they needed supplemental oxygen.