Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo residents ambivalent about lifting emergency
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also offered praise for the business-minded "Osaka model" Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura drafted to bounce back from the virus.
Kansai fears virus relapse as Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo blaze own trails
Despite regional concerns in Kansai, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo are going their own way on reviving their economies amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Lack of aid guarantees divides prefectures over emergency business closures
The possibility of closures has prompted concerns that without financial guarantees from the central government, the impact could devastate local economies.
Hyogo looks at business shutdown to coordinate virus response with Osaka
Hyogo Gov. Toshizo Ido said Sunday that his prefecture will ask some businesses to shut down in an effort to contain the novel coronavirus. At a news conference, Ido emphasized that Hyogo and neighboring Osaka Prefecture need to keep in step with each other. Osaka plans ...
Small cinemas in Kansai turn to T-shirts as they struggle in pandemic
Small cinemas in Kansai that are struggling to attract moviegoers due to the coronavirus pandemic have started selling original T-shirts in hopes of boosting their bottom line. The project was launched jointly by 13 small cinemas in and around Osaka and the nearby cities of ...
Kansai leaders call for those who returned from abroad to self-quarantine
With over 340 cases of novel coronavirus in six Kansai area prefectures as of Friday, local leaders want all residents who have just returned from overseas to self-quarantine. But despite Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and the governors of surrounding Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Yamanashi prefectures ...
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. The ordinance in Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, is set to take ...
Governors advise halt to weekend trips between Osaka and Hyogo amid virus fears
Nonessential travel between Osaka and Hyogo prefectures should be avoided during the long weekend amid the spread of the new coronavirus, their governors said Thursday. Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura told reporters the request is based on emergency steps proposed by state health experts to prevent ...
Kansai businesses suffer as COVID-19 alarm hurts tourism
The Japanese expression "kankodori ga naku" (literally, "the cuckoo sings") is frequently used to describe a business slump. "Kankodori" appears in a headline in Flash (Feb. 18) concerning Nara Park. Not only are visitor numbers to this destination way down, but the famous deer that ...
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 ...
Kansai mother and son accused of no-show scam that cost hotels ¥115 million
A mother-and-son pair in the Kansai region arrested on suspicion of obstructing business at hotels allegedly cost accommodation facilities ¥115 million in damages after they made around 3,200 booking cancellations in one year, investigative sources said Wednesday. Yukiko Kishida, 51, and her son Yukihiro, 31, ...
Japan Times 1995: Powerful earthquake kills hundreds in Kansai
More than 1,600 people were confirmed killed and some 1,000 others listed as missing in the most catastrophic earthquake to hit the Kansai region in nearly 50 years.
