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Wednesday, 12 August 2026 Reading Room

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On August 12, 1985, Japan Airlines Flight 123, a Boeing 747 jumbo jet, crashed into a mountain in Gunma Prefecture while en route from Tokyo to Osaka, killing 520 people on board. The crash site is known as "Gosho-dake no Onagi," or "Gosho-dake Ridge." On the 41st anniversary of the crash, about 200 people, including bereaved families and former Japan Airlines employees, took part in a memorial service there. They prayed for the souls of those who died in the accident, which occurred when the plane's rear pressure bulkhead ruptured due to a faulty repair. The flight had departed from Tokyo's Haneda Airport at 6:00 p.m. on August 12, and was headed to Osaka's Itami Airport. The plane, which had been in service for about 15 years, was carrying 524 people, including 367 passengers. The accident is known as one of the deadliest in aviation history. At the service, which began at 10:00 a.m., participants offered incense and flowers at a monument. They also observed a moment of silence at 6:00 p.m., the time the plane was supposed to land. Among those in attendance was a bereaved family member who lost her 9-year-old daughter in the accident. "I still feel the same sadness as I did 41 years ago," she said. "I want to make sure that the accident is not forgotten, and that people's memories of it remain."

·asahi.com

N. Korea sends condolences over death of ex-Lao parliament president

North Korea has sent condolences over the death of a former leader of the Lao parliament, state media said Wednesday. The condolence message was sent Sunday by the standing committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) over the death of Xaysomphone Phomvihane, former president of Laos' National Assembly, the Korean Central News Agency…

·koreatimes.co.kr

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