archive

 
 
March 2020
SMTWTFS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031 
« FebApr »

JAPAN

JAPAN
Mar 24, 2020
Kyoto Prefecture city to ban single-use plastic shopping bags
A city assembly in western Japan enacted an ordinance Tuesday that bans local retailers from offering single-use plastic shopping bags to customers, whether they are free or priced, the first such measure in the country.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2020
As virus cases surge, Tokyo governor says lockdown may be only way to stem rise
An additional 17 individuals were confirmed on Tuesday to have tested positive, the largest number of cases the city has seen in a single day.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 24, 2020
Japan to join trial to test Ebola drug on COVID-19 patients
The National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) said Monday that it will join an international clinical trial on the use of remdesivir, which is being developed as a remedy for Ebola, to treat people infected with the new coronavirus.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 24, 2020
Japan pushes male public servants to take longer paternity leave
The government will encourage its eligible male personnel to use child-rearing leave for at least a month in principle, starting in fiscal 2020.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 24, 2020
Coronavirus death toll reaches 52 in Japan
The number of fatalities linked to the coronavirus in Japan rose to 52 on Monday following the deaths of three elderly people, including a man in his 80s in Aichi Prefecture.

ASIA PACIFIC

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 24, 2020
People in China need a green light from Alipay app to move around
To get permission to leave China's coronavirus epicenter and return to his job in Hong Kong, a Chinese banker needed two things: a letter from his company and a green health code from an Alibaba app.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 24, 2020
Spat between China diplomats signals internal split over how to handle Trump
An unusual public spat between two top Chinese diplomats points to an internal split in Beijing over how to handle rising tensions with a combative U.S. president.

WORLD

Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 24, 2020
Grim guidelines prioritize health workers as hospitals swell
ICU beds and ventilators shouldn't be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Health-care workers should get priority. Patients with a better chance of recovery should get access to limited life-saving equipment, over those who are more sick.

BUSINESS

Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2020
Japan supermarket sales rise amid virus scare in February
Supermarket sales in Japan in February grew at their fastest pace in over four years as consumers bought more food to eat at home amid the new coronavirus scare, industry data showed Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2020
Japan driving schools go full speed with lessons amid coronavirus scare
Driving lessons for license holders who rarely drive have been seeing greater demand amid the COVID-19 epidemic as people seek to avoid using public transportation to get to work.

Opinion

Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 24, 2020
Don't squander the chance to shine as a COVID-19 outlier
Despite Japan's ability to keep COVID-19's spread in check, few countries have looked to the Abe administration as an example to follow.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2020
Public health and political dogma
Both national and international approaches have to be pursued with balance, vision and wisdom if the COVID-19 pandemic is to be comprehensively defeated.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2020
The ethics of shopping in a pandemic
We have to make choices about what to take, leave and ask others to get for us.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2020
China wants to rule the waves; here's how the U.S. can stop it
It will take the right kind of 355-ship U.S. Navy to blunt Beijing's goals in the South China Sea and beyond.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2020
Averting economic disaster is the easy part
It may be too late to avert a public health crisis, but policymakers can still implement the fiscal and monetary measures needed to prevent an economic catastrophe.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2020
Beijing and others aim to make the best of coronavirus geopolitics
As the world heads into uncharted territory amid the coronavirus outbreak, it is undergoing stark and dramatic geopolitical shifts.

Sports

OLYMPICS
Mar 24, 2020
It's official: Tokyo Olympics delayed until 2021 due to coronavirus
In a stunning but foreshadowed move, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced late Tuesday night that Japan had reached an agreement with International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games to be postponed until next summer at the latest as the coronavirus pandemic...
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Mar 24, 2020
2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed, IOC member Dick Pound says
The International Olympic Committee has decided to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Games because of the coronavirus pandemic, IOC member Dick Pound said on Monday, as a window slowly began to open that would allow the showcase to be staged next year.

LIFE

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 24, 2020
Entrance fee to Mount Fuji to become mandatory
An expert committee that advises the “Mount Fuji World Cultural Heritage Council” working group comprised of prefectures such as Yamanashi and Shizuoka, had confirmed a discussion as of (Feb.) 18th for an entrance fee for Mount Fuji.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 24, 2020
Let's discuss the mask shortage
The reselling of face masks for profit will become a crime punishable by a one-year prison term or a u00a51 million ($9,800) fine — or both — as demand surged amid the growing coronavirus epidemic, the government said Tuesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 24, 2020
Pointing out the family with 'ni ataru'
Mari-chan wa Nana no obasan ni ataru. (Mari is Nana’s aunt.)
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 24, 2020
Can’t find tissues? Get some towels, it’s moving time
It’s a bad time to run out of toilet paper and tissues. March is a month of big life changes in Japan such as 入学 (nyūgaku, entering university), 入社 (nyūsha, entering a company) and 転勤 (tenkin, company transfers), and those will often require your moving to a new apartment. A 空っぽな...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji