「キムタク」、セブンイレブンのおにぎりに　長野県の給食で人気

The "KIMUTAKU" Seven-Eleven onigiri, a popular school food in Nagano Prefecture

小山裕一

KOYAMA, Yuichi

2024年7月25日 16時00分

長野県塩尻市の学校給食で人気の「キムタクごはん」をチャーハンにアレンジしたおにぎりを、コンビニ大手のセブンイレブンが期間限定で、長野、山梨の両県で販売する。夏休みには両県に観光客が各地から訪れることから、「塩尻の味を、多くの人に食べてほしい」（百瀬敬市長）という。

A popular food at the Shiojiri School in Nagano Prefecture, the "KIMUTAKU" is an onigiri made from fried rice, and is sold by the large convenience store Seven-Eleven in both Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures for a short period of time. City Mayor TAKASHI, Momose says that since more tourists come to both prefectures during summer vacation, "We want plenty of people to taste the Shiojiri flavor."

　市が25日の定例会見で発表した。商品名は「キムたくチャーハンおむすび」（税抜き130円）。セブンイレブンは2012年から断続的にキムたくおむすびを売り出しており、今回は4年ぶりとなる。

The city presented the product during a planned press meeting on the 25th. Its name is the "KIMUTAKU Fried Rice Ball" and its pre-tax price is at 130yen (approx 65PHP). Seven-Eleven has been selling the KIMUTAKU rice ball intermittently since 2012, and this will be its first year since it was last sold four years ago.

The KIMUTAKU school lunch is rice mixed with ideas from the home, says a nutritionist working at the Shiojiri City Middle School. "We want to convey the taste of home to sons who are weak with side dishes, so that they may enjoy them with their grandparent's generation." Since 2002, it has been provided as a school lunch within the city. Even now, the rice ball is launched two or three times per year. Its naming comes from the imagination of TV Artist Mr. KIMURA, Takuya, who also presented it in TV shows.

This time, there are more pickled radish known as the "TAKUWAN" put into the onigiri, and due to the large cuts, "The taste of the pickled radish could be enjoyed even further," the spokesperson from Seven-Eleven says.

Previously, the onigiri's product name was not "KIMUTAKU", but "KIMU-taku". Explained by the spokesperson from Seven-Eleven, "This is to strengthen the image of the "TAKUWAN", the pickled radish."

Starting July 30, approximately 450 stores within Nagano Prefecture will be selling the product, while within Yamanashi prefecture about 200 stores will begin selling the onigiri starting August 13. Its sale time period is set at present to be until the end of August. (KOYAMA, Yuichi)

地域活力のシンボルだった東大合格者数　制度見直しで公立高「没落」

The number of University of Tokyo passers symbolized activeness in regional affairs; Revisions in the regulations resulted in the "fall" in the number of public high school passers

聞き手 シニアエディター・尾沢智史

Reporter: OZAWA, Satoshi (Senior Editor)

2024年7月20日 10時30分

高校ごとの「東大合格者数ランキング」は毎年のように注目され、雑誌などでも取り上げられます。東大入試をめぐる状況はどう変わってきたのか。受験と社会の関わりを追ってきた教育ジャーナリストの小林哲夫さんに聞きました。

Every year, each high school in Japan pays attention to the "Rankings in the Number of Passers of the University of Tokyo", which is put up on magazines and shown in the news. How has the situation of entrance exam-taking at the University of Tokyo changed? We ask Mr. KOBAYASHI, Tetsuo, an education journalist who has reported on the link between society and the entrance exams.

　高校ごとの「東大合格者数ランキング」が雑誌などの人気コンテンツであり続けるのは、地域のアイデンティティーと結びついているからです。

It's because there's a relationship between regional identity and the "Rankings in the Number of Passers of the University of Tokyo" among high schools, a popular content that has persisted in magazines and the news.

　戦前には第一高等学校から東京帝国大学というエリートコースが確立していました。戦後の教育制度改革で一高と東京帝大などが統合され、新制東大が引き続き学歴の象徴となります。

Prior to the war, the elite path known as the Tokyo Imperial University was established for students from the top high school. After the war, as part of revisions in the education system, the top high school and the Tokyo Imperial University were combined to create the new University of Tokyo which has continued on, and has become a symbol of academic upbringing.

　旧制高校に行けるのは限られた階層でしたが、戦後は新制高校から誰でも東大にチャレンジできるようになった。その結果、東大合格者数が高校ごとのアイデンティティーになります。地元の名門校から東大に何人入るのかが、地域の活力のシンボルになった。

While previously, only a limited stratum of society could go there via the old high school system, after the war, anybody from the new high school system could challenge himself and take the University of Tokyo entrance exams. As a result, the number of University of Tokyo passers has become an identity for each high school in Japan. The number of students from the local school that entered the University of Tokyo became a mark of being active in the region.

東大合格者報道が最も過熱するのは1970年代から80年代です。「サンデー毎日」「週刊朝日」「週刊読売」など新聞社系週刊誌が主役でした。当時は学校別に合格者の氏名がすべて掲載されていました。

News about passers of the University of Tokyo were at their hottest during the 1970's up until the 80's. Weekly magazines connected with newspaper companies such as "Mainichi Sunday", "Weekly Asahi" and "Weekly Yomiuri" were mainly responsible for this. At the time, the names of all the passers for each school were posted.

　受験競争の激化を批判してきた新聞社が、東大合格者報道に力を入れるのはおかしいという批判もあった。朝日新聞は社会部長と週刊朝日編集長の連名で批判に応える文章を掲載し、「世の中で強い関心がある情報を抑えるべきではない」「地域の誰が合格したかは一つのニュース」といった言い訳をしていました。

Newspapers that criticized the intensifying competition to pass the university exams also found it odd that they were putting so much effort in reporting about passers of the University of Tokyo. The Asahi Shimbun wrote a piece which included the names of the chiefs for the community section and the weekly Asahi editorial in response to the criticisms. They had given as reason, "There's not a place in the world where information with a strong and active engagement ought to be stopped.", "Who passed in a region is a piece of news."

　公立高が東大合格者数を競うのが問題視され、各地で学校群制度やグループ選抜が導入された。その結果、ランキング上位校は私立にシフトしました。

Seeing the problem caused by competition among public high schools for the number of University of Tokyo passers, school groupings and group selections were introduced in schools all over Japan. As a result, schools that placed at the top of the rankings shifted to private schools.

　「公立の没落」があまりに急速に進んだので、自治体は危機感を持ちます。公立の中高一貫校を作ったり、受験指導に力を入れたりして、合格者数を増やす方向に転換したわけです。

With the overly rapid increase in "failures in the public schools", local government units began to feel a sense of crisis. To turn the direction around, middle and high schools in the public school system were combined to become one school, and more effort was put into providing guidance on the entrance exams, thereby increasing the number of passers.

　東大という存在が、戦後の教育のあり方をある程度変えたことは確かでしょう。それは東大のせいというより、社会やメディアの影響が大きいといえます。

To an extent, the University of Tokyo and education in Japan after the war have certainly changed. But instead of saying that this has been the fault of the University of Tokyo, it could be said that the community and media have had a huge impact.

　一方で、受験生の意識は変わってきています。かつては、立身出世のためには東大に入らなければいけないという悲壮感みたいなものがありました。今はもっとライトな憧れで目指す受験生も現れた。東大生ゆえにメディアに出られて、卒業後も起業家やコンサルタントなど華やかな世界で活躍できるというイメージが持たれているようです。

On the other hand, the consciousness of takers of the university exam was changing. Before, there was a gloomy feeling that students had to enter the University of Tokyo to be able to achieve success in life. Now, there are exam takers who take the exam as a form of light aspiration. University of Tokyo students have appeared on media, and even after graduation, they seem to have taken an image of being active as entrepreneurs and consultants, among other roles in the great affairs of the world.

　東大が出世のパスポートではなく、賢さや効率のいい生き方の証明という考え方なのでしょう。それは大きな変化だと思います。（聞き手 シニアエディター・尾沢智史）

The University of Tokyo is not a passport to success in life; instead, it could be thought of as proof of intelligence and efficiency in life. I think this is a great change. (Reporter: OZAWA, Satoshi (Senior Editor))

小林哲夫さん（教育ジャーナリスト）

Mr. KOBAYASHI, Tetsuo (Education Journalist)

　こばやし・てつお　1960年生まれ。教育と社会の関わりを取材している。著書に「東大合格高校盛衰史」「筑駒の研究」「学校制服とは何か」など。

KOBAYASHI, Tetsuo was born in 1960. He's been reporting on news related to education and society. He has authored "The History of the Rise and Fall of High School Passers of the University of Tokyo", "Chikukoma Research", "What is the meaning of the school uniform?", etc.

病は気から？　体と心の不調、不安、免疫にかかわる分子解明　阪大

Illness depends on energy? Osaka team explains the atoms linked to the immune system, worry and imbalance in the body and mind

瀬川茂子

SEGAWA, Shigeko

2024年7月18日 8時00分

　病は気から――。体と心の不調が関係する仕組みの一端を大阪大などのグループが見つけて米専門誌に発表した。感情をつかさどる脳の領域で働く遺伝子が、不安の抑制、太りやすさ、免疫とかかわることを突き止めた。グループは、心と体を一つのまとまりと考えると、新たな診断や治療法の開発につながる可能性があるとしている。

Illness depends on energy... The team at Osaka University has found a part of the mechanism linked to the imbalance of the body and mind, and has presented the results in a US specialist magazine. They've hit on the gene that works in the region in the brain that controls emotions, and is linked to controlling worry, obesity and the immune system. The team asserts that it's possible to use this discovery in the development of new diagnoses and treatment when the body and the mind are taken as one whole.

　グループは、遺伝情報と体質などのデータベースから解析した結果、セマフォリン6Dという遺伝子に注目。この遺伝子が働かないように操作したマウスを作成した。

The team focused on the gene called "semaforin 6D" after analyzing databases that contained information on genes and genetic makeup. They created a mouse whom they've controlled such that this particular gene of the mouse did not work.

　この遺伝子欠損マウスを、壁がある橋とない橋のどちらにも行けるようにすると、壁がない橋を避けるなど、普通のマウスより強い不安を示した。こうした結果からこの遺伝子には、過度な不安を抑える働きがあると推定された。

When the mouse that lacked this gene attempted to go to a bridge with a wall and another without a wall, it evaded the former, and showed a great sense of worry, more so than an ordinary mouse. From this, it was presumed that this gene works at controlling excessive worrying.

　高脂肪食を与えた遺伝子欠損マウスは、太りにくく、強い炎症がみられた。この遺伝子には、エネルギーをため、過剰な炎症を抑える役割があるとわかった。

When the mouse was given foods high in fat, it was hard for it to become fat, and was seen to have gotten severe inflammation. It was learned that this gene has the role of controlling severe inflammation and accumulating energy.

　さらに詳しく調べて、この遺伝子が別の遺伝子とともに働き、交感神経の信号を抑えることで、肥満や免疫の調節とかかわることを確認した。

Investigating this further, the gene works together with another gene, and can control the signals exchanged between the nerves. It was confirmed that it's linked with the regulation of fat and the immune system.

When the region in the brain where these two genes work together was investigated, the team found it to be the "Amygdala", which is known to be linked to the regulation of the sympathetic nerve for emotions like fear and worry.

It was also confirmed that semaforin 6D works in regulating the quantity of nerve transmissions and the structures that convey information linked to the nerve cells. It was learned that it has a big role in creating important nerve pathways that regulate worry, metabolism and the immune system.

"It's possible to link the results of this research in the development of new treatment for chronic inflammation that's caused by abnormal brain functioning," says esteemed Assistant Prof. NAKANISHI, Yuki.

うつ症状の予防に野菜・果物ジュースは？　コーヒーは？　数万人調査

Preventing depression with vegetable and fruit juices? What about coffee? Data from several tens of thousands of people

桜井林太郎

SAKURAI, Rintaro

2024年7月16日 7時01分

　野菜と果物はうつ症状の予防に効果があるとされているが、野菜・果物ジュースはむしろリスクになりうることが、国立精神・神経医療研究センター精神保健研究所の成田瑞（ずい）・精神機能研究室長らのグループによる研究でわかった。100%濃縮還元でも生産工程で加糖され、砂糖によって神経細胞が機能するのに必要なたんぱく質が減ったり、炎症作用があったりすることが考えられるという。

While vegetables and fruits are effective in preventing depression, research led by Mr. NARITA, Zui, the Chief Researcher of the Mental Health Research Laboratory at the National Psychiatry and Neurological Treatment Research Center, along with research chiefs at the Psychiatric Research Laboratory group, have found that vegetable and fruit juices, in contrast, do have potential risk. Even those drinks that are 100% concentrated have sugar added during production, which decreases the protein necessary for nerve cells to function. Inflammation is also considered to occur as a side-effect.

　コーヒーもブラックコーヒーの摂取量が多い人はうつ症状のリスクが低いが、砂糖入りだとリスクが高いことも示された。

While the risk of depression for people who consume plenty of black coffee is low, it's been shown that the risk is raised by adding sugar.

　2011～16年に秋田、岩手、茨城、長野、高知、愛媛、長崎の7県に暮らし、うつ病のほか、うつ病との関連が報告されているがんや心筋梗塞（こうそく）、糖尿病の患者らを除いた40～74歳の約9万5千人に生活習慣について尋ねた。5年後にもアンケートを受けた8万人余りのうち1万8172人にうつ症状が見られた。

Between 2011 to 2016, the researchers asked the lifestyle of about 95,000 people whose ages ranged between 40 and 74 years old, and lived in seven prefectures including Akita, Iwate, Ibaraki, Nagano, Kochi, Ehime and Kawasaki. Except those with depression, the participants did not include patients with diabetes, heart problems, cancer, and illnesses that have been reported to be related to depression. Even five years ago, from the over 80,000 people who took the survey, 18,172 people were considered to have depression.

　甘味飲料全体と炭酸飲料、野菜ジュース、100%果物ジュース、砂糖入りコーヒー、ブラックコーヒー、緑茶でそれぞれの摂取量を計算し、全く飲まない人▽少し摂取する人▽中くらい摂取する人▽多く摂取する人――の4グループにわけて、うつ症状との関連を調べた。地域や年齢、性別、体格指数（BMI）、喫煙の有無、飲酒頻度、運動（歩行時間）などの影響を取り除く手法で分析した。

The researchers computed the amount of sweetened beverages, carbonated drinks, vegetable juices, 100% concentrated fruit juices, coffee with sugar and green tea consumed by the participants and divided them into four groups: 1) never drinks, 2) drinks a little, 3) moderately drinks, and 4) drinks a lot. They investigated its relationship with depression, doing the analysis after removing the impact of region, age, sex, Body Mass Index (BMI), smoker or non-smoker, frequency of drinking alcoholic beverages, exercise (walking time), etc.

　その結果、甘味飲料全体と炭酸飲料、野菜ジュース、100%果物ジュース、砂糖入りコーヒーのそれぞれで、全く飲まない人に比べ、摂取する人はうつ症状のリスクが統計上明確に高く出た。

The result of which is that when compared to people who never drink any of the beverages, those who do clearly have a higher risk of having depression.

　具体的には、多く摂取する人は全く飲まない人に比べて、甘味飲料全体で3.6ポイント、炭酸飲料で3.5ポイント、野菜ジュースで2.3ポイント、100%果物ジュースで2.4ポイント、砂糖入りコーヒーで2.6ポイント、リスクが高く出た。

More specifically, comparing those who drink a lot with those who never drank, results showed that they have a higher risk with 3.6 percentile points for all sweetened beverages, 3.5 points for carbonated drinks, 2.3 points for vegetable juices, 2.4 points for 100% fruit juices, and 2.6 points for coffee with added sugar.

　一方、ブラックコーヒーは摂取する人の方がリスクが低く、多く摂取する人は全く飲まない人より1.7ポイント低く出た。コーヒーには、カフェインによる抗酸化作用や抗炎症作用があるが、砂糖が加わると逆の影響が強まると考えられるという。

Meanwhile, the risk for people who drink black coffee is lower, and results showed that those who drink a lot have 1.7 percentile points lower risk. While caffeine from coffee has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, adding sugar is considered to increase its adverse effects.

Regarding green tea, no clear difference in the risk was seen based on the results of the study.

Mr. NARITA points out, "While vegetables and fruits help in preventing depression, they can show the opposite effect when consumed as beverages. We also found that drinking black coffee with sugar creates precisely this opposite effect. As a whole, it's considered that the reduction of in-take of sweetened drinks and those with plenty of sugar is considered to be good for preventing depression. It's also difficult to consider that squeezed vegetables and fruits to make juices are bad; however, we want people to understand that 100% concentrated juices easily obtained from vending machines are completely different from those drinks made originally from vegetables and fruits, because even if the juices were extracted, there are cases where sugar was added to the beverages to adjust their sweetness.

新紙幣は「最後のお札」になるのか　デジタル通貨で現金離れが加速？

Will the new Yen bills be "the last"? Accelerating cashless payments via digital currency?

神山純一

KAMIYAMA, Jun'ichi

2024年7月3日 8時00分

　20年ぶりとなる新しい紙幣が3日、発行された。1万円札は渋沢栄一、5千円札は津田梅子、千円札は北里柴三郎の肖像が描かれている。「大量に流通するお札としては、今回が最後になるのではないか」。日本銀行出身の中島真志・麗沢大教授は、こう予測する。近年はキャッシュレス化が急激に進み、若者を中心に現金にふれる機会も減ってきた。次の変更も20年後だとすれば2044年。その頃には、お札ではない、新たな「通貨」が登場しているかもしれない。

After 20 long years, a new set of paper bills has been released to the public on the 3rd of July. For the 10,000 bill, the portrait of SHIBUSAWA, Eiichi has been drawn on the bill, while for the 5,000 bill, TSUDA, Umeko, and for the 1,000 bill KITASATO, Shibasaburo. "This will likely be the last time that the bills will be distributed in such large quantities," Prof. NAKAJIMA, Masashi from Reitaku University and the Bank of Japan says sharing his prediction. As cashless payments rapidly proliferate, young people in particular have a lesser chance of making cash payments. If the next change of bills will also take 20 years, it'll be in 2044. By that time, there won't be any more bills in circulation; instead, a new "currency" would have likely been introduced by then.

　経済産業省によると、23年のキャッシュレス決済比率は39.3%で、13年（15.3%）から2.6倍に拡大した。

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the ratio of cashless payments grew 39.3% in 2023, 2.6 times the 15.3% in 2013.

　さらに現金離れを加速させるかもしれないのが「デジタル通貨（CBDC）」だ。お札や硬貨を電子上でやりとりする通貨のことで、スマートフォンのアプリやQRコードなどを使った利用が想定される。現金からCBDCに移行すれば、中央銀行は、紙幣の印刷や流通コストを節約でき、銀行はATMの削減を進められる。

Furthermore, what may be accelerating cashless payments are the "Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)". The digital exchange of bills, coins, among others is supposedly done using technologies like Smartphone apps and QR Codes. By moving from cash to CBDC, the central bank can save on the cost of printing and distributing paper bills, while banks can push forward the reduction of their ATMs.

　民間のキャッシュレス決済の場合、小売店が端末を導入し、決済会社に手数料を支払う必要がある。CBDCはそのような手間を省けるのが特徴で、「いつでもどこでも」送金できる。

In the case of cashless payments, terminals were brought into small shops which, in turn, need to pay the service provider a handling fee. CBDC, in particular, can eliminate such types of hassle, so that payments can be done "whenever and wherever."

In Japan, while it's not yet been decided when the "Digital Yen" will be introduced, actual tests and such things are already in-progress. In April 2023, along with the three mega-banks, system tests to make money transfers have started, and the plan is to finish these tests within several years. In April of this year, even the government has presented to the public the current issues with the digital yen, and has been examining its compatibility with the necessary revisions in the law to bring in the new technology.

There are also examples of progress overseas. In Central-America, the Central Bank in the Bahamas has started CBDC's "Sand Dollar" in October 2020. While the People's Bank of China has begun to test transactions of the "Digital Yuan of the People's Republic of China" in a part of the city. The European Central Bank (ECB) has also presented last year a policy for the EU on the "Digital Euro", and has started discussions at the European Parliament since this year.

The head of the Ministry of Finance says, "If its introduction overseas pushes forward, it would be necessary to prepare for its immediate application." On the other hand, there are also many issues like cyber-attacks and data privacy protection that also need to be addressed.

Digital currency has changed in form in response to technological advancements. About 1,000 years ago, paper bills were also introduced in response to advancements in printing technology. Reitaku University's Mr. NAKAJIMA points out, "For the digitization of society to advance forward, it would be necessary to have a convenient currency that is applicable with the times." (KAMIYAMA, Jun'ichi)