Asia

Stress on Japan tourism may be linked to surge in COVID-19 infections – study

Ren Leen January 22, 2021

TOKYO (JAPAN) – A prominent adviser to the government’s pandemic response said that a domestic tourism campaign promoted by Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga may have led to a sharp increase in coronavirus infection cases in the country. While the government has said there

Asia

Japanese offers prayer for end of COVID in annual ice bath ritual

Ren Leen January 10, 2021

TOKYO (JAPAN) – Men wearing traditional loin clothes and women dressed in white robes clapped and chanted before going into an ice water bath during a Shinto ritual at a Tokyo shrine on Sunday to purify the soul and pray for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only a dozen people took part in the […]

Asia

Japan announces state of emergency for Tokyo area amid soaring COVID cases

Ren Leen January 7, 2021

TOKYO (JAPAN) – Japan declared a limited state of emergency in the capital, Tokyo, and three neighbouring prefectures on Thursday to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The government said the one-month emergency would run from Friday to Feb. 7 in Tokyo and Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures, covering about 30% of the country’s population. […]

Sport

Torch exhibitions of Tokyo Olympics postponed amid COVID fears

Editorial Bureau January 7, 2021

TOKYO (JAPAN) – Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced on Thursday that upcoming exhibitions of the Tokyo Olympics torch around the Japanese capital have been postponed “to reduce the flow of people and the further spread of COVID-19.” The torch had been on display in certain municipalities at the end of last year and the exhibitions were […]

Asia

Japan’s daily coronavirus cases touches record amid concerns about a state of emergency

Editorial Bureau January 6, 2021

TOKYO (JAPAN) – Japan’s COVID-19 cases reached a new daily record on Wednesday, even as the government was subjected to mounting pressure from health experts to enforce a strict state of emergency for the Tokyo greater metropolitan area. Rising infections have driven the Tokyo and surrounding areas to the highest level of a four-stage alert, […]

Asia

Coronavirus casts a shadow over Japan’s New Year’s Day celebrations

Editorial Bureau January 1, 2021

TOKYO (JAPAN) -New Year’s Day is the biggest holiday in Japan’s calendar, but this year’s festivities have been subdued following record highs in new coronavirus cases nationwide and calls from the government to stay home. Japan’s Emperor Naruhito appealed to the public to work together through the pandemic in a videotaped New Year’s Day

Asia

Soaring COVID cases in Tokyo and heavy snow turn stumbling blocks for New Year celebrations in Japan

Editorial Bureau December 31, 2020

TOKYO (JAPAN) – New coronavirus infections in Tokyo struck a record high of more than 1,300 on Thursday, triggering fears of an explosion in cases, local media reported. New Year’s Eve celebrations were curbed as the country battles a third wave of the pandemic. Scores of flights were also cancelled as heavy snowfall hit several […]

Asia

Japan’s Suga calls on citizens to have a quiet and distanced New Year

Ren Leen December 25, 2020

TOKYO (JAPAN) – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged the nation on Friday to spend a quiet New Year period to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Suga also announced a package of $2.6 billion for hospitals treating COVID-19 patients which have come under strain due to the rapid rise in cases across the northern island […]

Business

Ginza shoppers treated with new sanitised experience

Ren Leen December 19, 2020

TOKYO (JAPAN) – Shoppers washed their hands and sterilised their smartphones in the streets of Tokyo’s posh Ginza district on Saturday using handwashing stations that a Japanese start-up hopes will revolutionise access to clean water and better hygiene. WOTA Corp set up 20 of its WOSH machines near popular Ginza stores in an initiative with […]

Asia

Japan’s Suga likely to curb domestic tourism drive to stem surge of pandemic

Editorial Bureau December 14, 2020

TOKYO (JAPAN) – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is likely to further curb the travel subsidy initiative, which came under fire, in order to stem the spread of the pandemic. This comes as his ratings have tanked over the manner in which he is handling the crisis. Late on Monday, he will chair a meeting […]