Kyoto University announces heart rate sensor, measuring heart rate from a distance

Kyoto University, in collaboration with other groups, has developed a sensor that can measure breathing and heart rate from a distance. This sensor might be useful in detecting people who have serious symptoms of COVID-19.



Kyoto University and medical equipment venture businesses in Kyoto opened the press conference with the announcement of the heart rate sensor.

The sensor uses a milli-wave radar, which is a high frequency radio wave. The sensor can measure breathing intervals and heart rate from a distance of about 7 meters by detecting slight movements a few millimeters or less on the surface of the skin.

There is no limit to how many people it can monitor at one time. Even with clothes or a blanket on, the sensor can still capture one's movements.

The group expects to see the sensor be put to use for preventing incidents such as suffocation while a child sleeps, or to watch over the elderly.

Additionally, the sensor will be useful to monitor the conditions of COVID-19 patients who are recuperating in their own homes or hotels since shortening of breath is one of the more severe symptoms of COVID-19.

Associate Professor of the Graduate School of Engineering of Kyoto University, Takuya Sakamoto commented, "We are hoping that this structure of monitoring someone who is unconscious will be a more common infrastructure in the future."

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210210/k10012860241000.html

Kagoshima city implements the LGBT partnership system

Article by Minori Kiwaki

　Kagoshima city announced that they will be implementing the partnership oath system in 2021, which will officially acknowledge the relationships of LGBT couples. As the partnership system is slowly being introduced to different parts of the country, Ibusuki city from the same prefecture as Kagoshima is also planning to implement the system in April.

　Kagoshima city mayor Takao Shimozuru revealed the plan in a press conference on January 29. This system is for couples who are living or planning to move to the city and cannot get married with the present marriage system. Couples have to be 20 years of age or older, which is the legal age defined by the civil law. Couples will have to submit a written oath that they are partners for life, cooperating and sharing responsibilities. Once it is submitted, the city will issue a receipt. The oath is not legally binding; however, the city is still in the process of granting the same rights common law couples have to partnership couples, like living together in municipal housing. The city is aiming to set the general guidelines and to implement its early stages after asking the public its opinion in the first couple of weeks of March.

　The council also decided to remove gender entry fields in official documents from 2019 in consideration of gender minorities. However, the LGBT faction of the city council presented their respective concerns since there might be backlash and harmful content that could come up against the LGBT community. The city is working with experts and the community as they debate and review the system's implementation. The Kagoshima Human Rights Office Spokesperson said, "We took into consideration those who have to go through the difficulty of explaining their identities and relationships."

　Mayor Shimozuru commented in the press conference, "We have to respect the gender minorities and I hope that the LGBT community could live more comfortably." (Minori Kiwaki)

Source: https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP226Q3NP1YTLTB00S.html

Nara's "rice porridge divination" to foretell crop harvest in 2021

Tomi Shrine, Nara -- Rice porridge divination, a tradition where people use rice porridge inside of bamboo tubes to foretell the crop harvest for the year, was held on the morning of February 1st.



This tradition has been passed down for over 300 years now, and is considered to be one of Nara's spiritual customs.

The Shinto priest and shrine parishioner took out the bamboo tubes from the iron pot where the rice porridge with adzuki beans was being cooked.

The bamboo tubes are about 20 cm in length and 2 cm in diameter. Each tube is labelled for each crop like rice and strawberries. If more rice and beans are found in the tube, then that means that the harvest will be bountiful for the corresponding crop.



The Shinto priest and the shrine parishioner sliced the bamboo tubes open, and announced the results in 9 stages from the absolute best to the complete worst. The gathered crowd cheered.

According to the predictions, Nara will have a bad harvest for rice, but Japanese plum and persimmon will be bountiful this year.

Every year, they serve the rice porridge to the visitors; however, because of COVID-19, it was cancelled.

Tomoyoshi Sugimura, the parishioner representative, said, "Last year, we had brown planthoppers ruin our rice plants. So, the prediction for a bad harvest came true. I really hope that the prediction will be wrong this time since we will also have a bad rice harvest this year.”

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210201/k10012843411000.html?utm_int=news-culture_contents_list-items_004

Request for removal: Information on a kindergartener with gender dysphoria was posted without consent on the Ōtsu city website

Article by: Kengo Suga

Ōtsu Municipal Office, photo taken by Hiroaki Hama

　A kindergartener who goes to a public nursery school in Ōtsu city had a story about their gender dysphoria posted without consent on the city website. Their parents have taken the case to the district court in order to have their child's information removed. The city deleted the post on January 18 at the request of the kindergartener and their family. The kindergarten is looking into measures to protect private information from third parties and prevent recurrence of outing incidents.

　The parents filed a case on December 25, 2020. The complaint entails their child's name was registered as male in the family registry, but her gender identity was female. The nursery school evaluation report in 2019 had recorded the kindergartener's details on receiving a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. This information was posted on the nursery school website managed by the city. Even though her name was concealed, her age and enrollment year was published. This made it possible to pinpoint who she was and having her gender dysphoria posted in public is a violation of privacy.

　Ōtsu city officials said, "We haven't received the complaint yet, so we are refraining from commenting. However, we are taking this matter and their guardians' feelings seriously. We want to respond accordingly." Attorney Tatsuya Ishida, representing the kindergartener, said, "I wish the government could look from the perspective of sexual and gender minorities, and handle the situation accordingly." The family is considering withdrawing the complaint on removing the post on the website.

　Regarding outing incidents, there was also an outing incident in Hitotsubashi University 15 years ago where a classmate outed another student as gay, and he jumped to his death. The bereaved filed a case against the university for compensation. During the appeal trial in November 2020, the Tokyo High Court ruled that it was a "considerable violation of personal rights."

　The mentioned kindergartener has been called a liar by her classmates regarding her gender identity. She has been assaulted and cannot continue going to school. Her family commented, "Having her live her life like before has become more difficult. She's already considering dying. Outing someone could cost their lives." Her mother said this in an interview: "LGBTQ+ children live in suffering. I wish adults could change their way of thinking and that starts with teaching children to be against discrimination and prejudice."

Source: https://mainichi.jp/articles/20210120/k00/00m/040/074000c