News On Japan

WHO: Japan data shows only one in five with Covid-19 spread disease

Apr 12, 2020 (thestar.com.my) - Japan, with its teams of Covid-19 "cluster busters" has gained a lot of very useful information, including that only one in five infected people spread the disease, the World Health Organization said on Friday (April 10).

"Japan has also seen cases of Covid-19 in three prefectures including Tokyo that are not linked to known chains of transmission," Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme told a press conference.

"That is not good, but they are looking."

"The data I saw this morning reassures me they are very aggressively following this," he said. But Japan may have to scale up measures in some prefectures, he added.

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Very strong Typhoon No. 7, Mekkhala, was moving north south of Okinawa as of 9 a.m. on June 24 and is forecast to approach Miyakojima on June 25 and Okinawa’s main island around June 26 before moving east along the southern coast of Honshu, while Typhoon No. 8, Higos, is expected to move on an inner track and approach eastern Japan first, raising the risk of heavy rain across western and eastern Japan.Typhoon No. 7 was located east of the Philippines at 9 p.m. on June 23 and was moving slowly north.

The sale of religious corporations that operate temples and shrines across Japan is drawing growing scrutiny from authorities, who fear the transactions could be used for tax evasion and money laundering, as brokers openly advertise properties and corporate status for tens or even hundreds of millions of yen.

Nine Japanese nationals were among 17 people detained in Laos on suspicion of involvement in a special fraud operation, while Japanese authorities have sought cooperation from Cambodian police over dozens of Japanese citizens believed to have gone missing after traveling to Cambodia.

Japan will begin a new system on June 23 to sell paint and thinner directly from manufacturers to construction firms and other businesses, aiming to ease supply bottlenecks and curb price increases as worsening conditions in the Middle East make such materials harder to obtain.

Three bear cubs were spotted climbing a tree in Hirogawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on the morning of June 22, prompting the town to put up warning signs and call on residents to stay alert, although no injuries or damage have been reported.

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A 32-year-old Dutch tourist has been arrested on suspicion of leaving tire marks on the asphalt after performing drift driving in the parking lot of the Oya History Museum, a tourist facility in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture.

A giant stone at Mitsuishi Shrine in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, said to be linked to the origin of the prefecture’s name through a legend about a demon’s handprint, has been carved by an unknown person in what appears to be the shape of a palm.

The first trial of two men accused of killing restaurant owner Ryutaro Takarajima and his wife, Sachiko, began at the Tokyo District Court on June 22, with the 30-year-old defendant described as a directing figure admitting the charges, while the other defendant acknowledged involvement but argued that he was only an accessory.

Japan's Emperor and Empress appeared before the press with the Belgian royal family during their official visit to Belgium, joining King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and their children for a commemorative photograph at the royal residence of Ciergnon Castle.

A damaged and badly decomposed body of an adult man was found inside a large freezer near the entrance of a locked apartment in Kobe on June 20, prompting police to investigate the case as a possible crime.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, on a state visit to the Netherlands, reunited with Princess Catharina-Amalia, the Dutch princess who was photographed holding hands with Princess Aiko 20 years ago, in a visit that highlighted the long friendship between the Japanese imperial family and the Dutch royal house.

Eleven pupils and teachers were injured after a fire broke out at Takinogawa Daisan Elementary School in Tokyo's Kita Ward at around 11 a.m. on June 19, forcing more than 300 children to evacuate and briefly trapping several pupils on a narrow ledge outside a fourth-floor classroom.

A cargo ship carrying vehicles from Osaka to Tokyo ran aground off Toshima in the Izu Islands before dawn on June 19, creating an unusual scene in which a large freighter appeared to have docked at a part of the island with no port.