Chronology of Shiga Prefecture’s major and interesting news headlines for September–December 2016 (according to the year, month, day, and time posted at GMT).
Originally posted on Twitter under Shiga Headlines by Philbert Ono. Twitter posts are limited to 140 characters including spaces and links (shortened by Twitter). Dates and times below are based on GMT instead of Japan time.
| 2016/9/1 7:28 | Between May 1 and Aug. 28, 2016, 582 people in Shiga were taken to a hospital due to heat exhaustion. 110 of them required hospitalization. |
| 2016/9/1 7:31 | Due to poor sales and increased competition, the Otsu Parco store will close at the end of Aug. 2017 and be replaced by a new owner. |
| 2016/9/2 15:17 | Kyoto Univ. research group found relatively high concentrations of microplastics in southern Lake Biwa. How they affect fish is unknown. |
| 2016/9/2 15:24 | Kusatsu cram school teacher Yabunaka Hirofumi (籔中博文) arrested for groping a high school student & shooting nude pics of underage female teen. |
| 2016/9/3 6:34 | Mugwort-flavored soft-serve ice cream (yomogi soft cream) on Mt. Ibuki is yummy! https://t.co/L5Wj1g2XUL https://t.co/uy1GHexvfV |
| 2016/9/5 16:09 | A few members of the Shiga Kenjinkai in southern California appeared on NHK TV today singing “Hana wa Saku.”
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| 2016/9/6 4:50 | Members of the Nanka Shiga Club (Shiga Kenjinkai) in southern California wore nice T-shirts at their summer picnic!
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| 2016/9/7 14:06 | Shiga Univ. Education Dept.’s primary school teacher Yamashita Tomoyoshi (39, 山下那義) arrested for groping a 16-year-old girl on a Kyoto train. |
| 2016/9/7 14:07 | Voter turnout among 18 & 19-year-olds in Shiga in the July Upper House election was only 50.57%, lower than Shiga’s overall 56.52% turnout. |
| 2016/9/7 14:12 | Lake Biwa is plagued with the most water bloom ever recorded. Found in 12 locations for a record 32 days as of Sept. 6, 2016. |
| 2016/9/13 16:10 | As of Sept. 1, 2016, Shiga had the most centenarians ever at 637 (as old as age 110), 38 more than in 2015. Only 66 of them are men. |
| 2016/9/13 16:17 | As of July 2016, 24.7% of Shiga’s pop. of 1.4 million was age 65 or older. Taga had the highest percentage of 33.3%, then Takashima at 33.3% |
| 2016/9/14 15:15 | Ritto native, paralympic swimmer KIMURA Keiichi won the silver in the 50m freestyle & bronze in the 100m breaststroke in Rio! |
| 2016/9/21 18:35 | For 8 years in a row, Shiga’s average land price has fallen. As of July 1, 2016, it fell by -0.4%. Higher in the south, but not in the north |
| 2016/9/24 23:58 | Nagahama Hikiyama Matsuri (Sanbaso dancer #三番叟) at Tourism Expo Japan at Tokyo Big Sight yesterday. Musicians also played. https://t.co/jyDeMr4Y3z |
| 2016/9/25 9:36 | In Otsu yesterday, Shiga Lakestars lost their 1st basketball game in the new B.League against SeaHorses Mikawa, 78-83. |
| 2016/9/30 22:46 | Lake Biwa Museum’s website remains offline after a 2nd DDoS attack on Sept. 24 supposedly by anti-whaling Anonymous. http://www.lbm.go.jp/ |
| 2016/9/30 22:54 | Renovated Otsu Station building reopened today with a capsule hotel, tourist info center, free rental bicycles, eateries, & outdoor terrace. |
| 2016/10/1 13:42 | Shiga’s 6th graders and 3rd-year jr high students scored lower than the national average on scholastic achievement tests in April. #全国学力テスト |
| 2016/10/3 11:08 | Paralympic swimmer KIMURA Keiichi from Ritto awarded Shiga’s sports honor award for winning 4 medals in Rio, his 3rd Paralympic Games. |
| 2016/10/6 15:51 | Nango Jr. High in Otsu has started English classes conducted only in English. All of Otsu’s Jr. high schools will have such classes by 2019. |
| 2016/10/7 13:34 | Shiga natives KIRYU Yoshihide (w/IIZUKA Shota) and synchronized swimmer INUI Yukiko appeared in the Olympic parade in Ginza, Tokyo today. https://t.co/dXnDZAd1V7 |
| 2016/10/11 8:38 | Otsu mayor Koshi prayed today on the 5th anniversary of the bullied 13-year-old jr high school student’s suicide. https://t.co/vyAtmguM1O |
| 2016/10/11 8:44 | Maibara Station’s east side now rents out bicycles. Cycle Station has 60 bicycles of various types. Rental rates start from ¥3,500 per day. |
| 2016/10/14 11:29 | A lack of oxygen in the mud due to sedimentation of old lotus plants stunted the growth of lotus flowers at Karasuma Peninsula this summer. |
| 2016/10/17 14:36 | Remains of large Kofun-Period structures & evidence of iron-making found at Inabe ruins in Hikone. Possibly related to the Yamatai Kingdom. |
| 2016/10/17 14:47 | Shiga Prefectural Personnel Committee recommended a raise for over 18,000 pref. employees that will cost an additional ¥1.1 billion/year. |
| 2016/10/21 14:44 | Today’s M6.6 earthquake in Tottori also shook Shiga at M2 or M3 which caused no damage. |
| 2016/10/27 6:20 | 11-year-old boy in Shiga was taken into custody by police for sending a bomb threat letter to Ohara Elementary School in Maibara on Oct. 19. |
| 2016/11/1 2:25 | A record 20 million foreign tourists visited Japan in 2016 as of Oct. 30, and the number visiting Shiga is also increasing, but still low. |
| 2016/11/2 13:55 | 20 Shiga prefectural employees logged over 1,000 hours of overtime last fiscal year. Further measures to be taken to reduce overtime. |
| 2016/11/10 3:43 | Trump won sister-state Michigan by 0.3%, 47.6% of the popular vote vs. 47.3% for Clinton, about 12,000 votes more out of 5 mil+ votes cast. |
| 2016/11/10 3:45 | Hidden Buddha at Eigenji displayed for the 1st time in 30 years until Nov. 27. Ishiyama-dera’s hidden Buddha also on display until Dec. 4. |
| 2016/11/22 11:12 | A man (28) from Kora died 3 days after choking on his 5th onigiri at an onigiri eating contest held by JA Higashi Biwako in Hikone on Nov.13. |
| 2016/11/24 10:32 | Eigenji temple in Higashi-Omi showing hidden Kannon for the 1st time in 30 years until Nov. 27. Serene, golden face.
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| 2016/11/26 14:06 | Ishiyama-dera in Otsu showing its hidden principal object of worship, a huge seated Kannon statue for the 1st time in 33 years until Dec. 4. https://t.co/e4SoFZs8FN |
| 2016/12/1 1:18 | Nagahama Hikiyama Matsuri now officially a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage along with 32 other float festivals. |
| 2016/12/7 20:47 | Nagahama policeman Yasuda Kazushi (33, 安田一司) arrested for hugging a woman (20s) from behind on a Hikone street and attempting obscene acts. |
| 2016/12/7 20:58 | The last leg of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to be built from Tsuruga to Shin-Osaka will be decided soon. Shiga is pushing for the Maibara route. |
| 2016/12/8 5:25 | Due to low enrollment, Omi Brotherhood Elementary School will stop recruiting from 2018 & close in March 2023 after the last class graduates. |
| 2016/12/13 15:09 | Gamo-Higashi Elementary School head teacher Arikawa Tomoaki (50, 有川智章) arrested twice for extortion for trying to force two women to meet him. |
| 2016/12/13 16:08 | Dec. 11: North Korean Otsu man Nakagawa Akihiro (中川晃) on the JR Shin-Imamiya Station platform in Osaka pushed a 63-year-old woman onto the tracks who survived. |
| 2016/12/13 16:12 | Nakagawa Akihiro (中川晃大、本名、裴晃大) arrested for attempted murder for pushing a 63-year-old woman onto the tracks. Mother in Otsu cites mental problems. |
| 2016/12/13 16:15 | Shiga Blog: Renovated Otsu Station building reopens with The Calendar and other eateries. https://t.co/qptLBQ2R8y |
| 2016/12/14 11:26 | The Obama-Kyoto Route has been chosen for the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tsuruga to Shin-Osaka citing faster travel times and cheaper fares.
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| 2016/12/25 14:58 | Near Hikone Castle on Xmas morning, a 100kg wild boar attacked 4 male tourists on a sidewalk, causing minor injuries. Boar was later killed. |
| 2016/12/26 15:24 | Plans have been announced to renovate the 100-year-old Ohmi Railways Hino Station. Donations are being solicited to help cover the cost. https://t.co/mXGDmuUybO |
| 2016/12/27 15:35 | Gov. Mikazuki has stated that since the Hokuriku Shinkansen won’t go through Shiga, there’s no reason for Shiga to help bear the cost. |
| 2016/12/28 15:35 | A Japanese novel about William M. Vories titled, “Yane wo Kakeru Hito” 屋根をかける人 was written by Kadoi Yoshinobu 門井慶喜 & published in Dec. 2016. |
Shiga History May–Aug. 2016 | Chronological History of Shiga | Shiga History Jan.–April 2017
