Japan's coronavirus state of emergency has taken effect in Osaka and three prefectures neighboring Tokyo due to a surge in new cases in those areas. The state of emergency that has been in place in Tokyo and Okinawa was expanded to include the three prefectures and Osaka on Monday.
The organizers of the Tokyo Olympics reported 16 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday among people connected to the Games. That brings the total to 148 cases this month, including 16 athletes, and underscores the size of the challenge of keeping the world's biggest sporting event "safe and secure" in the midst of a pandemic.
A typhoon is expected to approach east and northeastern Japan from the Pacific around Tuesday and may make landfall in areas including Tokyo that is hosting the Olympics, the weather agency said Sunday, as it warned of heavy rain, stormy winds and high waves.
The International Olympic Committee has allowed medal winners at the Tokyo Games to remove masks for up to 30 seconds while physically distanced on the podium for photo opportunities.
Central and local governments are at odds in Japan, where a vaccine shortage has municipalities across the country canceling people’s reservations.
When his clinic in Tokyo’s Toshima Ward received a shipment of coronavirus vaccines earlier this month, Yamashita Iwao had been preparing to open up bookings to younger people. But the delivery only included enough doses for 60 people—just one-fifth of what Yamashita had requested. He was forced to suspend new appointments.
Tokyo’s Olympic Village has been dubbed a "bubble" because of the raft of anti-virus measures implemented there. But after two competitors and an official tested positive in the first week, is the bubble about to burst?
The Tokyo organizing committee confirmed on Sunday that two members of South Africa's men’s soccer team and one member of staff had tested positive for COVID-19 at the village.
The committee says 18 people – mostly members of the South African team – have been identified as close contacts. All tested negative on Sunday.
Two South African soccer players and an official of the team staying at the Tokyo Olympics athletes' village have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the organizing committee said Sunday.
The infections are the first confirmed cases among athletes in the village, fueling concern about the anti-virus measures being taken ahead of the opening of the games on Friday.
A children's mobile library run by a Japanese expat in northern Thailand has become more important than ever during the coronavirus pandemic.
Horiuchi Yoshimi sees books as "friends" for the youngsters in the remote, rural areas she visits. The 37-year-old remembers how reading shaped her own childhood. Born with weak eyesight, Horiuchi became blind during high school. She had always loved books, thanks to her grandfather who read to her as a child. So Horiuchi taught herself Braille so she could continue to read. She says this helped her to learn about the world.
Mizuho Bank, Ltd. has announced that it will lower its fees for transferring money to other banks' accounts through ATMs and Internet banking by up to 120 yen from October this year. Now that all the major banks have lowered their fees, it is expected that the trend of lowering fees will spread to regional banks as well.
A London-bound Japan Airlines passenger plane that took off from Haneda Airport turned back to Haneda Airport on the afternoon of the 14th because a crack appeared in the cockpit window. According to Japan Airlines, the 30 or so passengers and crew were not injured.
Thousands of volunteers in Japan were looking forward to this summer's Olympics and Paralympics as an opportunity to welcome fans from across the country and the world. But the decisions to ban spectators for most events has suddenly left them with nothing to do—and the sense that the years of preparations have been all for nothing.
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