Winning the media battle against COVID-19
On March 12, the Sankei Shimbun ran an editorial urging the media to refrain from criticizing the government for its handling of the coronavirus emergency. The Sankei Shimbun was elaborating on a complaint made by former TV announcer Yoshiko Sakurai that the press was ...
COVID-19 cases top 1,500 in Japan as ministry releases cluster map
The only cluster with 50 or more cases is in Osaka Prefecture, where infections spread from events held at live music clubs.
Japan's local governments urged to prep for COVID-19 rush on hospitals
Tokyo is estimated to see 45,400 outpatients and 20,500 inpatients per day, of whom 700 will be in severe condition.
Japan tightens border controls over COVID-19, but power to quarantine limited
A health ministry official confirms that under current law, the government can only request that people submit to a quarantine voluntarily.
Abe to hasten legal preparations for declaring state of emergency over COVID-19
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed Monday to expedite the enactment of legislation needed to declare a state of emergency, in order to "minimize the impact on Japanese citizens' livelihood" from the rapid spread of COVID-19. "It is critical to always anticipate the worst-case scenario, and ...
Limited virus testing in Japan masks true scale of infection
Japan is becoming a center of concern as the coronavirus spreads globally, with the country's official infection tally suspected to be the tip of the iceberg of a much wider outbreak. As of Monday afternoon, Japan had 263 confirmed cases of the pneumonia-causing virus, excluding ...
Hokkaido coronavirus patient dies, bringing Japan's toll to 12
A Hokkaido man in his 70s has died after being infected with COVID-19, the local government said Sunday, bringing the domestic death toll to 12. The Japanese national, who had no record of overseas travel, died Saturday after developing a fever and pneumonia on Feb. ...
Japanese government panel OKs expensive gene therapy for rare disease
A health ministry panel approved the production and sales of a gene therapy for treating spinal muscular atrophy, a rare incurable disease that destroys muscle function.
Hospitals in Japan refusing to test many who suspect they have COVID-19
Some medical institutions in Japan have been rejecting possible COVID-19 patients under the strict but ambiguous testing guidelines currently in place, leaving many patients shunted from hospital to hospital. Experts point out that the vague criteria have caused confusion among medical staff. According to the health ...
Coronavirus outbreak highlights need for independent CDC-style body in Japan
Experts say the agency taking point on the current health crisis lacks the administrative autonomy and power to take effective action.
Japan's COVID-19 response in focus as woman let off cruise ship tests positive
A growing number of questions are being raised about the government’s decision not to isolate passengers allowed to leave the Diamond Princess cruise ship and its failure to test some others during the quarantine period.
The health ministry let 23 passengers off the Diamond Princess cruise ship without going through mandated tests for the novel coronavirus, health minister Katsunobu Kato said Saturday. For three days through Friday, 970 passengers who tested negative in tests after Feb. 5 were allowed to ...
