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Michelle Fay Cortez
For Michelle Fay Cortez's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Buildings in the business district in Singapore. The city state hosted regional headquarters for 4,200 multinational firms in 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 22, 2024
Even China’s giants are picking Singapore over Hong Kong
The city state hosted regional headquarters for 4,200 multinational firms in 2023.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 14, 2023
Hong Kong ban sends restaurants scrambling to replace Japanese seafood
The move comes as Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings is preparing to release more than 1 million cubic meters of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean off Japan's east coast.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 24, 2023
COVID kills one person every four minutes as vaccine rates fall
After more than three years, the global health emergency is officially over. Much of the world is keen to move on, but vulnerable people and undervaccinated countries remain at risk.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 2, 2023
Bird flu detectives hunt for clues to stop next global pandemic
The speed with which countries can identify and respond to future virus threats will determine how effectively the world can contain the next pandemic.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Apr 6, 2023
COVID’s origins can’t be tied to Wuhan market, Chinese researchers say
It’s possible that humans may have introduced the virus to the market, or it could have been brought in on refrigerated or frozen products, the Chinese researchers said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 21, 2023
COVID hasn’t taught the world how to beat the next deadly virus
Elimination measures were once the gold standard for dealing with deadly new viruses. But China’s extreme 'zero-COVID' policy and its abrupt reversal has cast doubts over the approach.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 31, 2022
Hong Kong's 'COVID-zero' strategy is on the brink of collapse
Officials instead are pursuing what they call 'Dynamic Zero,” an approach that emerged from China and aims to work toward no new infections while acknowledging some may still occur.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 16, 2021
Singapore confronts the division and fear that come from living with COVID-19
Singapore had seemed like a poster child for pandemic management, but now it is looking like a real-time illustration of how challenging the pivot away from 'zero COVID-19' is going to be.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 8, 2021
Isolated China the last country chasing 'COVID-zero'
Nations have pivoted to vaccinations to protect people from serious illness and death while easing off on attempts to control the number of infections.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Aug 14, 2021
The world may never reach herd immunity against COVID-19
Without herd immunity, the virus could linger for decades in some form, possibly forcing the world's most powerful nations to adjust their diverging strategies on opening up.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 28, 2021
Singapore braces for a leap of faith in its COVID-19 strategy
The tiny city-state that relies on being globally connected is eyeing the resumption of some international travel by September.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 23, 2021
With 50,000 cases a day, one country opens up as another suffers
As richer nations open up, the worst health crisis in a generation continues to sweep the developing world, shuttering economies and dashing livelihoods.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 21, 2021
Delaying second doses offers wider immunity where vaccines are scarce
The initially controversial strategy has now been vindicated by scientific studies, allowing supplies to be more widely distributed and boosting their protective power.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 14, 2021
‘COVID-Zero’ havens may find reopening harder than taming virus
Some fear territories that prioritized safety early in the pandemic may be left behind by rivals with higher caseloads that have boosted vaccine uptake.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 5, 2021
COVID-19 forecasters warn India deaths may double in coming weeks
The coronavirus wave that plunged India into the world's biggest health crisis has the potential to worsen.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 4, 2021
Modi fights pressure to lock down India as virus deaths rise
The debate has been complicated by Modi's move last year to impose a nationwide lockdown without warning, spurring a humanitarian crisis as migrant workers fled on foot to rural areas.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 12, 2021
Asian nations scale back AstraZeneca rollout amid safety woes
The moves may delay protection for the region amid concerns that the shot could trigger a rare and potentially deadly blood clotting condition.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2021
Experts fear the Olympics could trigger a global superspreader event
While those involved in the games will be somewhat isolated from the Japanese public, Tokyo has ruled out using two core tenets of containment: quarantines and vaccinations.
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.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 18, 2014
Electric jolt to the brain boosts memory: study
Electrically stimulating a portion of the brain that coordinates the way the mind works can enhance memory and improve learning, according to a study that may lead to a new way to treat cognitive disorders.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?