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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2022

Beset by legal battles, Brazilian asbestos town eyes a safer future

The asbestos extraction firm Sama S.A., operating in the city of Minacu, is the world's third-largest chrysotile asbestos producer, shipping it to more than 150 countries.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 6, 2022

Rapid COVID-19 tests are reselling for triple the retail price in U.S.

A spike in U.S. coronavirus cases has resulted in skyrocketing demand for at-home kits — and an unregulated private market selling them.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 21, 2021

Ivermectin for COVID? Unproven treatment stokes concern in Japan

Although the treatment has received some support from Japan's medical establishment and studies are ongoing, ivermectin is not approved as a COVID-19 remedy in the country.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 16, 2021

New studies raise hopes that vaccines prevent severe omicron cases

Scientists reported on several studies suggesting that T cells in vaccinated people can put up a strong defense against the variant.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 2, 2021

Japan’s drug regulator considers sweeping changes after COVID-19 vaccine delay

After being one of the last major developed nations to approve Pfizer's vaccine, Japan's drug regulator is looking to ease approval requirements for future pandemics.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2021

Japan's COVID-19 booster shot drive kicks off with health care workers

Third shots will eventually be administered free of charge to all residents age 18 and older at least eight months after their second doses.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 21, 2021

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike returns to duty after speculation of ill health and resignation

Koike, 69, visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building to attend an online meeting of the National Governors' Association on Sunday, marking a full resumption of her duties.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Nov 9, 2021

COVID-19 pills no substitute for vaccines, disease experts say

Some experts fear the arrival of oral treatments for the coronavirus may further impede vaccination campaigns.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 1, 2021

Nomura tells staff not to smoke cigarettes while working from home

The company has said it doesn't plan to monitor whether employees working remotely are following the guidelines.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 30, 2021

Olympic volunteers provided more than just physical support at the Games

Two Olympic volunteers talk about their experiences at the Tokyo Games interacting with and supporting athletes who were without family, friends and fans.
Surgeons perform the world’s first genetically modified pig kidney transplant into a living human at Massachusetts General Hospital in March.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 16, 2024

Hurdles remain in Japan for transplants of pig organs into humans

Among the issues are the risk of previously unknown infectious diseases, animal welfare and the need to protect recipients from discrimination.
The Foreign Ministry has issued a Level 1 infectious disease alert for seven African countries, urging travelers to take precautions against mpox during visits to those nations.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 18, 2024

Japanese government considers taking precautions against mpox

Senior officials agreed to collect data on infection situations in countries where mpox outbreaks — formerly known as monkeypox — have been confirmed.
The World Health Organization is not recommending the use of masks amid the recent mpox outbreak, a spokesperson for the organization said.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 21, 2024

Mpox 'is not the new COVID,' World Health Organization says

Mpox's risk to the general population is low, the organization said.
A Palestinian child is vaccinated against polio in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
WORLD
Sep 5, 2024

Polio vaccines give Gaza families an all-too-brief respite from war

One Gazan mother wondered what good the polio vaccination campaign could do when her children would soon face more air strikes and shelling.
Public awareness and support for people with dementia has significantly improved in Japan over the years, but the long-term sustainability of such support systems is a concern, experts say.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 20, 2024

Dementia advocates worry public attitudes preventing diagnosis

Eighty percent of the public thinks dementia is a normal part of aging, meaning the need for correct diagnosis and care is possibly being neglected.
A total of 509 patients in Japan had to give up on organ transplant operations last year because hospitals were unable to carry out such procedures, according to a health ministry survey.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2024

Hospital shortcomings forced 509 patients to abandon organ transplants

A lack of hospital staff and insufficient space in intensive care units needed for such operations were among the reasons.
According to a man seeking compensation through the courts for his forced hospitalization at a psychiatric ward, it was clear from his medical records that there was no need for him to stay in hospital from 1988.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 1, 2024

Plaintiff denied compensation for decadeslong stay at hospital

Plaintiff Tokio Ito, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia, claimed that he suffered emotional damage from the extremely long and involuntary stay.
Shonannoumi hits the dirt at the hands of Kotozakura during a bout in Tokyo in May. Shonannoumi is among the many top wrestlers who have dropped out of this month's regional tour due to injury.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 9, 2024

Spate of sumo tour dropouts highlights need to rethink wrestlers' health

While it would be foolish not to capitalize on sumo’s surging popularity, expanded tour schedules cut into recovery time and push wrestlers to their physical limits.
A researcher holds a plate of nematodes in a lab at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Monday. American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the Nobel Prize in Medicine the same day for their discovery of microRNA and its role in how genes are regulated.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2024

Nobel Prize for medicine recognizes microRNA — and curiosity

Although microRNA's key role in regulating gene expression hasn't yet resulted in groundbreaking treatments, it may still significantly impact our health in the future.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, speaks during a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 14, 2024

Harris baits Trump on his health records after releasing her own

Harris also took a swipe at Trump the same day for spreading false claims about the disaster response to Hurricane Helene for political gain.
Nearly two-thirds of parents of Australian teenagers reported concerns about their children's social media use, according to a 2024 survey by youth service ReachOut.
WORLD / Society
Oct 16, 2024

Australia's planned social media ban raises teen isolation fears

For teenagers from migrant, LGBTQIA+ and other minority backgrounds, an age block could cut off access to essential social support.
Since October, patients have been asked to pay more for brand-name drugs prescribed by medical institutions if the patents have expired.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2024

Japan raises out-of-pocket costs for off-patent drugs

With the increases, the government aims to reduce health care costs by encouraging greater use of generic drugs.
Smoke and flames billow over Beirut's southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon on Thursday.
WORLD
Nov 7, 2024

Israel strikes on Lebanon kill 40 people around Baalbek, health ministry says

More than 3,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon over the last year, the vast majority in the past six weeks.
An expert committee convened by the health ministry has proposed introducing a limit on consecutive workdays.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 13, 2024

Japan to ban employees from working for 14 consecutive days

Employers are currently required to provide one day off a week, but loopholes mean some employees can work up to 48 days in a row.
For patients using donanemab, it will cost them about ¥3.08 million per year. But national insurance coverage will have the government shoulder most of the cost.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 13, 2024

Japan OKs insurance coverage of Alzheimer's drug donanemab

Donanemab became the second Alzheimer's drug that targets causative deposited plaque in the brain to win the coverage after lecanemab.
A Type 2 diabetes patient gives himself an insulin shot. In 2022, there were around 828 million people aged 18 years and older with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes worldwide, a new study found.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 15, 2024

More than 800 million adults have diabetes globally, study suggests

The study in The Lancet found the global prevalence of diabetes has doubled since 1990 to 14% from around 7%.
The Social Media Minimum Age bill sets Australia up as a test case for a growing number of governments which have legislated or said they plan to legislate an age restriction on social media amid concern about its mental health impact on young people.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 29, 2024

Australia passes social media ban for children under 16

The law forces tech giants to prevent minors from logging in or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars.
U.K. Members of Parliament will vote on assisted dying for the first time in nine years.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 29, 2024

U.K. Parliament to hold first vote on assisted dying in nine years

Under the legislation put forward, assisted dying would be restricted to adults with a terminal illness who are expected to die within six months.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces measures to counter the spread of "forever chemicals" in drinking water in the Upper House of parliament in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 3, 2024

Japan eyes new PFAS regulations for drinking water by spring

Water suppliers nationwide must upgrade their safety standards to counter the spread of "forever chemicals."

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear