# ニュース 2026年10月20日午前04時00分 2026年10月20日 - Show: NHKラジオニュース - Published: 2026-10-20 - Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/400203229_98e9a09d2df2.html - Audio: https://www.nhk.or.jp/s-media/news/podcast/audio/3b96b74c87237e0c2e080ccb1c63574f_64k.mp3 - Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary. Shizuoka Prefectural Children's Hospital has announced the world's believed-lightest reported stent procedure, performed on a baby girl weighing just 356 grams at 19 days of age. Japan's Supreme Court has also finalized a phased plan to digitize arrest and search warrant processing, starting in the Tokyo metropolitan area alongside a revised criminal procedure law taking effect by March next year. Meanwhile, the government's volcanic advisory panel warns that small eruptions at Hokkaido's Mt. Tokachidake remain possible despite a recent lowering of its alert level, urging continued vigilance as the region enters the snow season. ## What this episode answers ### What stent treatment was performed on the 356-gram baby? At 19 days old and weighing 356 grams, doctors inserted a catheter through the baby's neck artery and placed a stent — a mesh-like metal tube — to expand the narrowed section of the aorta from the inside; after she grew, a follow-up surgery last month removed and sutured the narrowed portion, and her recovery is progressing well. ### What is the global significance of this treatment? The hospital believes this is the world's lightest reported case to undergo this type of procedure; Shibuya Akane (渋谷茜), deputy chief of cardiology, said that 'knowing babies this small can survive will give hope to those children and their families.' ### When and where will the online arrest warrant system be introduced? The pilot will launch in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba for methamphetamine possession and use cases, in step with the revised Code of Criminal Procedure taking effect by the end of March next year, with nationwide expansion to all cases planned by July next year. ### How will criminal procedures specifically change with digitalization? Arrest and search warrants, previously requested in person at courts and issued on paper, will be processed entirely online; investigation speed is expected to improve, and nighttime and holiday warrant reviews will be consolidated at courts in Tokyo and Osaka. ### What is the current volcanic activity status at Mt. Tokachidake? The government's Volcanic Eruption Prediction Advisory Panel assessed that small eruptions of similar or slightly larger scale remain possible if current activity continues; Chair Shimizu Hiroshi (清水博) noted that while urgency has decreased from last month, overall activity remains high, and the public should stay prepared entering the snow season. ## Article ## Stent Treatment for a 356-gram Baby — Believed to Be the World's Lightest Case Shizuoka Prefectural Children's Hospital has announced the successful stent treatment of an ultra-low birthweight infant. The patient, a baby girl born at the hospital in October 2025 weighing just over 350 grams, was diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta — a congenital condition in which part of the aorta, the main artery carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body, becomes abnormally narrow. The narrowing required vascular surgery, but because her blood vessels were too immature to be sutured, doctors opted first for a catheter-based approach. At 19 days of age, when she weighed 356 grams, physicians threaded a catheter through an artery in her neck and inserted a stent — a mesh-like metal tube — to expand the narrowed section of the aorta from the inside. According to the hospital, this is believed to be the lightest reported case in the world to undergo this type of procedure. ## Recovery and Comments from the Family and Medical Team After the stent procedure, the medical team waited for the baby to grow. In September 2026 — last month — surgeons performed a follow-up operation to remove the narrowed portion of the aorta and suture the vessel. Her recovery has been progressing well. The infant's parents shared their feelings in a written statement. "We are overjoyed that we will be able to celebrate her birthday together every year and watch her grow," they wrote. "We would be so proud if our daughter's successful case could serve as a precedent and be of some help to other children in similar circumstances, their families, and the field of medicine." Shibuya Akane (渋谷茜), deputy chief of the hospital's cardiology department and the lead physician on the case, commented: "Knowing that even babies this small can survive will, I believe, give hope to those children and their families." ## Online Arrest Warrants to Launch First in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area Japan's Supreme Court has finalized its phased plan to digitize criminal procedures. Under the revised Code of Criminal Procedure — set to take effect by the end of March next year — arrest warrants and search warrants will be able to be requested and issued entirely online. The rollout will be gradual. In step with the law's enforcement, the system will first go live in courts across Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba, covering cases involving methamphetamine possession or use under the Stimulants Control Act. Coverage will then expand region by region, with the goal of applying the system nationwide to all criminal cases by July next year. The Supreme Court explained its decision to start with methamphetamine cases by noting that "these cases typically involve less evidence, allowing staff to gradually build familiarity with the system." Under the current system, police officers must physically travel to a courthouse to request a warrant, and judges issue them on paper. Digitalization is expected to significantly speed up investigations. Plans are also underway to centralize nighttime and holiday warrant reviews at courts in Tokyo and Osaka to ease the burden on local staff. ## Mt. Tokachidake Still Active Despite Lowered Alert Level — Caution Urged Ahead of Snow Season The government's Volcanic Eruption Prediction Advisory Panel has issued an assessment of Mt. Tokachidake (十勝岳) in Hokkaido, whose eruption alert level was lowered to 2 earlier this month. The panel concluded that if current volcanic activity continues, small eruptions of similar or somewhat larger scale remain possible. Panel Chair Shimizu Hiroshi (清水博) stated: "Compared to last month, we believe the sense of immediacy has decreased, but the overall level of activity remains high. As the snow season approaches, please do not let your guard down — continue to take precautions." ## Takeaways - A baby girl weighing 356 grams at 19 days of age successfully received stent treatment at Shizuoka Prefectural Children's Hospital — believed to be the world's lightest reported case — and a subsequent corrective surgery last month is also progressing well. - Japan's Supreme Court will pilot fully online arrest and search warrant processing in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba alongside the revised Code of Criminal Procedure taking effect by March next year, with nationwide rollout planned by July. - Mt. Tokachidake's volcanic alert level has been lowered to 2, but the overall activity level remains high and small eruptions are still possible, with authorities urging continued vigilance as the snow season begins.