TOKYO, Japan — Japan on Wednesday selected the Chinese character for “disaster” as its “defining symbol” for 2018, a year that saw the country hit by deadly floods, earthquakes and storms. ADVERTISEMENT“Many people experienced the threat of natural disasters such as earthquakes, heavy rain, typhoons and heatwaves,” the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, which organises the event, said in a press release. A total of 20,858 people out of 193,214 chose the character “disaster.”The country was hit by a series of natural disasters in 2018, starting with massive flooding in western regions that killed over 200 people. The series of disasters hit GDP, with the country’s economy shrinking in the three months to September. “I was reminded of how scary natural disasters are,” said a 42-year-old woman from quake-battered northern Hokkaido, who was cited in a statement from the organizer.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 12, 2018 07:06 UTC