Abe's abrupt call to close schools over COVID-19 takes education ministry officials by surprise
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's abrupt request Thursday for all of the nation's schools to be closed from next week through early April — driven by concern over the spread of the new coronavirus — has triggered confusion, with bureaucrats expressing anger. The instruction, which comes ...
Japanese dad tackles train etiquette with a badge to show he's willing to give up his seat
Scenario: You are congratulating yourself on having snagged a seat on a crowded, early morning Tokyo train, when out of the corner of your eye you spot a woman standing nearby who appears to be pregnant. You know you should offer her your seat, but ...
Hokkaido announced its first COVID-19 death on Wednesday, as the prefectural education board urged local authorities to temporarily close all public elementary and junior high schools in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The prefectural government said an elderly person from Hakodate ...
Mask-makers distance themselves from Abe's production guarantee prompted by COVID-19
The government and manufacturers of face masks are facing a growing challenge to keep up with demand amid the coronavirus outbreak, fueling concern that shortages of such items will continue for some time and leading to frantic searches by many people for stores that ...
Japanese couples fret over wedding plans amid COVID-19 scare
Japan to send vice justice minister to Lebanon, seeking handover of Carlos Ghosn
Islanders who suffered 1940s Japanese war atrocities on Guam get U.S. compensation
Local governments provide instructions on making face masks and disinfectants
Harnessing the power of AI: Japanese delivery firms, restaurants look to tech to boost businesses
In the midst of a surge in demand as more people shop online, the parcel delivery sector is struggling to keep up due to a chronic shortage of drivers. Meanwhile, restaurants are struggling to find ways to reduce waste in an industry notorious for ...
Tokyo stocks plunge deeper Friday on global fears of COVID-19 pandemic
Japanese government to demand halt to online face mask auctions
From watches to lobsters, the new coronavirus is interrupting supply chains globally
Huawei to build first European 5G factory in France to soothe Western nerves
Italy urges tourists not to cancel as confusion surrounds virus patient tally
The number of new infections inside China of the virus that causes COVID-19 was for the first time overtaken by fresh cases elsewhere on Wednesday, with Italy and Iran emerging as new epicenters of the rapidly spreading disease. Asia reported hundreds of new cases, Brazil ...
Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai and New York at risk of rising seas: study
Blasphemy still a potent tool for Pakistan's hushed hardliners
Singapore has a $100 billion plan to survive in a far hotter world than experts predicted
Tattooed headhunters of northern Myanmar tribes ready to be last of their kind
U.S. Democrats band together to knock Bernie Sanders during debate clash
Democrats unleashed a roaring assault against Bernie Sanders and seized on Mike Bloomberg's past with women in the workplace during a contentious debate Tuesday night that tested the strength of the two men at the center of the party's presidential nomination fight. As the undeniable ...
Osaka referendum: Merger gets second chance, but are voters on board?
Five years after voters in the city of Osaka narrowly voted down a referendum on consolidating its 24 wards into five with more autonomy and eliminating the municipal assembly and mayor, another referendum is set for later this year. The merger is the chief political ...
The Japanese Communist Party's quest to unify a shattered opposition
The Kawai scandal and the race to succeed Shinzo Abe
SDF tests public support with next mission in Middle East
Could merger talks finally produce a credible opposition force in Japan?
