One year has passed since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2023, and since June Ukraine has been pushing back, but has yet to regain control of the Russian-held eastern Donbass region and the southern Crimean peninsula. The situation has not improved and the damage continues to mount, and in November the United Nations announced that the number of Ukrainian civilian casualties had exceeded at least 10,000. As the war drags on, the international community's attention is waning. Western countries that have been supporting Ukraine are beginning to show signs of "support fatigue," wondering how much longer they must continue to do so. As a result, there is concern that Ukraine may not be able to compete with Russia in the future. In addition, to prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine as it has done, the Nordic country of Finland joined the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), a military alliance led by the United States and Europe, in April.

In April 2023, a new national organization, the Administration for Children and Families, will be established to oversee policies related to children. Until now, various ministries and agencies have conducted child policy under their respective jurisdictions. From now on, the Administration for Children and Families will take the lead and work from the perspective of the child, with the best interests of the child in mind. The main areas of responsibility include measures against abuse and poverty, support for pregnancy, childbirth, and child rearing, and measures to combat declining birthrates. We also work with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on anti-bullying measures, which are also closely related to schools. In April, the "Basic Act on Children" was introduced to promote children's policies throughout society, and the "Children's National Policy" is being drafted to set the basic policy for children's policies. The year 2023 marks a fresh start for Japan's child policy.

According to the "World Population White Paper 2023" released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in April 2023, the world population in 2023 will be 8.045 billion, surpassing the 8 billion mark for the first time. The most populous country is India with 1,428.6 million people. India has overtaken China, which had long been number one, this time due to a drop in the infant mortality rate. The world's population continues to grow, especially in Asia and Africa, where the population is particularly large, and is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050. On the other hand, Japan, with its declining birthrate and aging population, ranks 12th with 123.3 million people, down one place from 11th (125.6 million) in 2022. There are different opinions about the world population and the population of each country, with both of them saying that there are too many people for the resources available, or that there are still too few because the birthrate will continue to decline. In any case, the World Population White Paper points out that there should be no violation of women's freedom and rights, such as not being allowed to have children because the population is too large or being forced to have children because the population is too small.

A new type of coronavirus infection that has caused a worldwide pandemic and many deaths. Since a vaccine and therapeutic drugs have been developed and the strain has been changed to one that is less likely to cause severe illness, the "danger level" has been lowered in Japan since May 8, 2011. Specifically, the Infectious Diseases Control Law has changed the classification of the disease from "new influenza and other infectious diseases" (equivalent to category 2) to "category 5 infectious diseases," the same as seasonal influenza. As a result, the national and local governments will no longer ask people to "stay out of the house," "not open restaurants," or "reduce the number of spectators at sports events," even if they are infected or there is a pandemic in the area. Everyone will be left to his or her own ideas about what to do to prevent the spread of infection, and will be able to decide for himself or herself whether or not to wear a mask. In other words, the focus of countermeasures has shifted from the government to the individual. The new coronavirus has by no means disappeared, so the importance of your preventive measures remains the same.

The G7 Summit, where the prime ministers and presidents of seven influential industrialized nations gathered to discuss global issues, was held in the city of Hiroshima in May, with the leaders of Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Germany, and France as well as the European Union (EU) as members. This time, the "A-bombed city," which suffered an atomic bomb attack by the U.S. at the end of World War II, was chosen as the venue for the summit and the "Hiroshima Vision," the first statement toward achieving a "world without nuclear weapons," was compiled. However, no concrete measures on how to eliminate nuclear weapons were presented. President Zelensky of Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russia, also visited Japan to participate in the discussions, and the G7 came together to condemn Russia and strengthen support for Ukraine.

In 2023, the summer and fall were extremely hot, and heat records were broken throughout Japan, with daily maximum temperatures reaching 40.0°C for the first time in recorded history in both Yangagawa, Date City, Fukushima Prefecture, and Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Northern Japan, which is supposed to be cooler than usual, was also unusually hot, with Sapporo in Hokkaido reaching a record high of 36.3°C. According to data from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temperature reached 40.0°C for the first time in 7 days. According to data from the Japan Meteorological Agency, 106 out of 915 observation stations nationwide set a new record for the highest temperature between July 16 and August 23. And this summer's average temperature was the highest in the 125 years since the JMA began compiling statistics. The cause of the heat wave can be attributed to weather phenomena such as a strong Pacific High Pressure System, as well as to global warming The heat in the summer of 2023 was not limited to Japan, but was a global phenomenon; according to the EU's weather information agency Copernicus, North America, Europe, and Asia were also extremely hot, and the global average temperature also reached a record high. record highs, according to the EU weather information agency Copernicus.

In 2023, "Generative AI," which can create sentences and images, will be widely used in society, triggered by "Chat GPT," an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that allows users to exchange natural sentences as if they were having a conversation with someone else. In addition to answering questions, chat GPT can also summarize sentences and provide examples of ideas for projects, and is being used by companies and government agencies. On the other hand, there are many challenges, such as errors and biases in information from generative AI and the spread of fake images and videos that abuse generative AI. In July, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) published guidelines for the use of generative AI for elementary, junior high, and high schools. Rules on the use and regulation of generated AI are also being sought worldwide, and in December, the G7, a group of seven industrialized nations, decided on international rules that indicate what everyone should follow.

September 1, 2023 marked the 100th anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake, which struck at 11:58 a.m. on September 1, 1923, with a magnitude (M) 7.9 earthquake with its epicenter in a wide area from the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture to the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture. Some areas shook as much as 7 on the seismic intensity scale by today's standards. Various disasters occurred, including collapsed buildings, fires, landslides, and tsunamis, leaving 105,000 people dead or missing. Of these, 90,000 died in fires and 10,000 in collapsed buildings. The Great Kanto Earthquake served as the starting point for disaster countermeasures leading up to the present, such as earthquake resistance standards for buildings and urban planning to prevent the spread of fire. Today, it is said that major earthquakes such as the Nankai Trough Earthquake and an earthquake directly under the Tokyo metropolitan area could occur at any time. We would like to take this opportunity to make sure that we are fully prepared on a daily basis by preventing furniture from toppling over, securing emergency food, and checking evacuation centers.

On October 7, Hamas, the Islamic organization that controls the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian territories, launched an attack against Israel in the Middle East. About 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 240 were taken hostage. In retaliation (payback), Israel launched air strikes and a ground war against the Gaza Strip. More than 18,000 people (as of December 19, 2023) were killed in the Gaza Strip, including more than 5,000 children. The number of casualties is the highest among Israel's previous attacks on the Gaza Strip. The destruction of towns and homes has been so severe that 1.9 million people, or 85% of the population of the Gaza Strip, have been forced to flee their homes. The fighting is expected to end in a few months, with Israel inflicting heavy damage to the Gaza Strip. However, the problems over land, the cause of the conflict, and the harsh living conditions in the Gaza Strip, known as a "prison without a ceiling," will not change, and the future response of Israel and the international community is being questioned.

On October 11, professional Shogi player Sota Fujii won the title of "Oza" and became the first player in history to win all eight major titles, becoming the first player in history to win all eight titles. In October 2016, Fujii became the youngest professional player in history at the age of 14 years and 2 months, and in March 2020, he won his first title, "Kisei," at the age of 17, the youngest in history. He then won the title of "Oui" in August of the same year, "Eio" in September 2021, "Ryuoh" in November of the same year, "Ousho" in February 2022, "Kioh" in March 2023, and "Meijin" in June of the same year. With the exception of the Ki-o and Ryu-o, all six titles were won by breaking the record for the youngest player to win them. Fujii has been using the Shogi AI in his research, and during a game, he sometimes played the best move that even the AI could not come up with immediately and "exceeded the AI", which became a topic of conversation. Fujii is only 21 years old. What kind of record he will set in the future is attracting attention as a social phenomenon.