Current Affairs Quiz [2024]

animal

For nine consecutive days from August 5, 2024, the works painted around London by the anonymous street artist Banksy featured animals. He unveiled pieces in succession depicting elephants gazing at each other, fleeing monkeys, pelicans pecking at fish, goats, gorillas, and more. From his distinctive animal illustrations painted on shop shutters, signs, and other urban surfaces, observers have inferred themes such as animal welfare.

Komodo dragon

The Komodo dragon, one of the largest lizards in the world, has been on public display at Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya since August 23, 2024. Also known as the Komodo monitor, it is sometimes called a living dinosaur due to its length of over 2 meters. With sharp claws and teeth, it can also capture large animals using powerful venom.

rice

The food in short supply in Japan in the summer of 2024 is rice. The extreme heat and lack of rain in 2023 have affected rice cultivation. Another reason is that more people are eating rice than before due to increased demand from inbound tourism. The temporary announcement regarding a potential Nankai Trough earthquake also prompted many people to stock up, which accelerated the rice shortage.

Tsuruga City

To commemorate the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen in 2024, the “Lantern Floating and Grand Fireworks Festival” was held in Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, for the first time in six years. Approximately 10,000 fireworks were launched, and about 220,000 spectators attended.

9/27

The LDP leadership election in 2024 will be officially announced on September 12, with ballots counted on the 27th. There is a 15-day period from the announcement to the day before voting—the longest since the rules for the leadership election were established in 1995. The aim is to broadly convey the candidates’ policies and views and to inform all citizens about the challenges Japan faces.

Global boiling

In response to the worsening global warming, UN Secretary-General António Guterres used the term “global boiling.” Japanese news outlets also use it when covering climate change issues. The phrase suggests a situation where temperatures are rising as if the Earth were boiling, causing major impacts on ecosystems and society.

Kyoto International High School

The champion of the 106th National High School Baseball Championship is Kyoto International High School. It is the first victory for a Kyoto representative in 68 years since Heian High School in 1956, and Kyoto International captured its first title. It was also the first time in history that the representative schools from Tokyo and Kyoto faced each other in the final.