Tokyo Governor calls on residents not to go out
Tokyo governor is calling on residents in the city to stay home this coming weekend unless they absolutely need to go out.
It comes after officials confirmed more than 40 more cases of infection with the new coronavirus on Wednesday, the largest one-day spike the city has seen so far.
Governor Yuriko Koike said that Tokyo is now at a critical juncture. She is appealing to Tokyo residents to realize this situation and do their work at home as much as possible on weekdays. Though she added she understands that may not be possible depending on one's line of work. She is calling on people to refrain from going out in the evening and is asking residents to refrain from going out this weekend, unless it is urgent.
Koike said Tokyo is now facing the risk of an explosive spread of infections.
She called on people coming back from abroad to abide by the 14-day self-quarantine rule.
Five of the newly confirmed cases were people who recently returned from overseas.
11 others have been traced to a hospital where a nurse and a patient were confirmed infected on Tuesday.
Tokyo reported a record number of infections for three straight days through Wednesday. 16 were confirmed on Monday and 17 on Tuesday. The increase prompted one expert on infectious diseases to call for more drastic measures to fight the virus spread.
Professor Atsuo Hamada at Tokyo Medical University said that over the past few days, people who returned from abroad to Tokyo and other parts of Japan have tested positive for the virus. He added that if there is an explosive increase in the number of infections, hospitals will be overloaded and such a situation must be avoided.
More than 1,200 cases have been reported in Japan. That does not include the over 700 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
45 people have died including 10 from the cruise ship. Nearly 900 people have recovered and left hospital.
AP - Nov 26
Top diplomats from Japan and China met for bilateral talks Saturday as they try to resolve disputes including China's ban on Japanese seafood that has badly hit Japanese exporters.
Reuters - Nov 25
Japan passed on Friday an extra budget worth around 13.1 trillion yen ($88 billion) aimed at helping households cope with the rising cost of living and corporations boost domestic investment, even amid concerns over the country's worsening finances.
News On Japan - Nov 23
Japan hosted the "Self-Defense Forces Joint Exercise," from October 10, attended by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and the U.S. military. JNN reports on Japan's only elite unit, the 1st Airborne Brigade, during their training.
The Diplomat - Nov 23
Japan’s biggest defense company, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), has outlined plans for future growth through development investment in new major national defense projects, including standoff missiles and a joint next-generation fighter program with Britain and Italy.
NHK - Nov 22
North Korea's space agency says the country has launched a rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite and put it successfully into orbit.
Kyodo - Nov 22
A Japanese health ministry panel on Tuesday decided to ban HHCH, a synthetic cannabinoid, from Dec. 2 after many people who consumed gummies containing the compound had to go to the hospital.
dailymail.co.uk - Nov 22
The home of the US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel became the target of anti-Semitic vandals over the weekend who spray painted the word 'Nazis' on a fence outside his house in Michigan.
CNA - Nov 21
Japan has condemned the seizure of a Japanese-operated cargo ship by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, south of Israel.
AOL - Nov 19
Daisaku Ikeda, a former leader of Japan's influential Buddhist group Soka Gakkai, has died at the age of 95.
News On Japan - Nov 18
Edogawa Ward in Tokyo, which has the highest incidence of bicycle thefts in the city, announced the installation of 80 surveillance cameras in bicycle parking areas at private condominiums and other locations.
CCTV Video News Agency - Nov 18
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in San Francisco of the United States on Nov. 16, reaffirming the positioning of comprehensively advancing the strategic and mutually beneficial relations between China and Japan.
eurasiareview.com - Nov 18
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s inaugural two-day visit to Malaysia heralded a new strategic bulwark of defence and security criticality.
News On Japan - Nov 16
A car crashed into the barricades near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday morning, injuring a police officer.
NHK - Nov 15
Wednesday marks 46 years since a 13-year-old junior high school girl was kidnapped by North Korean agents.
NHK - Nov 14
Japan's government has approved the resignation of State Minister of Finance Kanda Kenji, who repeatedly failed to pay taxes for his company.
NHK - Nov 14
An NHK opinion poll shows the approval rate for the Cabinet of Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has fallen below 30 percent for the first time since he took office two years ago.