Abe nears decision on emergency declaration as Tokyo coronavirus cases surge
One government source said it was "just a matter of time" before Abe declares a state of emergency," citing the growing number of infections in the capital.
Critics ask 'Where's Abe?' as coronavirus spreads in Japan
As Japan struggles to stem the spread of a coronavirus within its borders, critics are asking, "Where's Abe?" Shinzo Abe, 65, Japan's longest serving prime minister, has failed to take the helm as the public face of the response to the virus, critics say, leaving ...
Japan might approve anti-flu drug Avigan to treat coronavirus patients
Japan is considering using Avigan, an influenza medication developed by a unit of Fujifilm Holdings Corp., to treat patients of the novel coronavirus, health minister Katsunobu Kato says.
Japan issues guidelines to prevent rush on hospitals as COVID-19 cases surge
The health ministry releases guidelines on how people should react if they fear infection with the coronavirus.
328 Americans from coronavirus-hit ship fly home, but 44 stay in Japan for treatment
A group of 328 Americans previously aboard a cruise ship quarantined off Japan left for home early Monday morning on chartered flights, while 44 stayed in the nation for medical treatment. Those that remained are among hundreds that have become infected with COVID-19 aboard the ...
Half of 'disabled' workers at central government institutions were miscounted, labor minister says
Of nearly 7,000 reported hires by ministries and agencies under a program to employ people with disabilities, 3,460 did not meet the guidelines.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday withdrew a recent remark on Japan's discretionary work system, while opposition lawmakers questioned the validity of the labor ministry survey on which Abe's remarks were based. "I'd like to withdraw my remark and apologize," Abe told a House of ...
Did press reports of a lawsuit spur an amendment to the welfare ministry's policy on benefits?
On Jan. 16, the Fukushima District Court ruled in favor of a woman and her daughter who had sued the city of Fukushima for cutting their welfare benefits. When the woman’s daughter was in high school, the woman received a grant scholarship to help ...
Japan must adhere to cap on social spending, new labor minister says
Japan needs to hold fast in limiting the rise of social welfare spending, said Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Katsunobu Kato in a recent interview. To meet a spending limit set in fiscal 2015, Kato said he wants to adhere to a ¥500 billion ...
Labor market reform chief targets pay gap as balm for productivity, spending woes
The government has placed a high priority on narrowing the gap in pay and benefits between regular and contract employees as this will raise productivity and consumer spending, said Katsunobu Kato, minister for labor market reform. Companies can afford to narrow the pay gap without ...
Abe aide prays for world peace during visit to war-linked Yasukuni Shrine
Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday visited the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, becoming the first Cabinet member to do so during the shrine's autumn festival. "As a Japanese, I expressed with reverence gratitude for those who died for the state," Takaichi ...
U.N. expert discusses North Korea abductions with kin, Japan ministers
U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea Marzuki Darusman on Monday discussed Pyongyang's past abductions of Japanese nationals with Japanese ministers and relatives of abductees during his visit to Tokyo. "Japan does not intend to close the window for dialogue with North Korea," Katsunobu Kato, state ...
