Society

Abe: Domestic travel curbs to be lifted on Friday

Jun 19 (NHK) - Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says the government will lift travel restrictions across prefectural borders on Friday, as the daily number of coronavirus cases continues to fall nationwide, except in a few localities.

Abe made the announcement at a meeting of the government's taskforce on the coronavirus on Thursday.

Abe said that since the nationwide state of emergency was lifted on May 25 over three weeks ago, new cases have been reported only in a small number of prefectures. He attributed the recent rise in new cases in Tokyo to increased PCR virus tests conducted in night-entertainment districts.

Abe said the government will ease restrictions on social and economic activities by another notch on Friday.

Until now, the government has asked people to avoid non-essential travel to and from five specific prefectures, namely Tokyo and its three neighboring prefectures and Hokkaido, where the number of infections remained relatively high. Abe said all these restrictions will be removed, starting on Friday.

There will also be a relaxation of the rules regarding the maximum number of people allowed at concerts, exhibitions, and some other indoor and outdoor events.

Night clubs, hostess bars and other businesses in night entertainment districts will be allowed to reopen from Friday on the condition that they comply with industry guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus.

Abe called on people to actively use a coronavirus contact-tracing smartphone app to be released on Friday.

The app will inform users when someone they came in close contact with has later tested positive. Abe stressed the app is designed to protect privacy.

Japan to Allow Overseas Sales of Lethal Weapons

The Japanese government on April 21 revised the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and related guidelines, in principle allowing the export of weapons with lethal capabilities. The move marks a major turning point in Japan's postwar security policy.

Earthquake Strikes During Rescue Operation

Footage released by the Nagano Prefectural Police mountain rescue unit captured the moment an earthquake struck during an operation to save two climbers who had fallen on a steep slope of Mount Shirouma in the Northern Alps.

Japan Gov't Warns of Possible Megaquake

Japan's weather agency and the Cabinet Office issued a 'Hokkaido-Sanriku Offshore Subsequent Earthquake Advisory' after an earthquake measuring upper 5 on Japan's seismic intensity scale struck off Sanriku.

New Shinkansen Reservation Service Lets Users Book in One Minute

JR East has launched a preview version of its new online Shinkansen booking platform, JRE GO, promising reservations in as little as one minute and easier handling of sudden schedule changes.

Bear Found in Bushes in Central Sendai Finally Culled

A bear that had remained in a residential area in central Sendai since early Sunday morning was euthanized last night in an emergency cull. No injuries were reported.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

One Dead in Yakuza Office Fire in Okinawa

A fire broke out at a four-story apartment building in Okinawa City in the early hours of April 19th, leaving one person dead, with authorities suspecting the victim may be a man in his 70s who served as chairman of a local crime group.

Father Claimed Son Was Missing Before Disappearance

A 37-year-old father arrested over the alleged abandonment of his son's body in a forest in Kyoto Prefecture may have contacted associates to say the child had gone missing before the boy's school informed the family, investigators said.

Osaka University Student Arrested for Recruitng 'Dark' Workers

A 20-year-old university student has been arrested on suspicion of breaking into an apartment in Osaka and stealing cash, with police believing he played a key role in recruiting minors for illegal work schemes.

Spring Garden Party Highlights Shrinking Imperial Family

The annual spring garden party, held at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo, has once again drawn attention to a pressing issue facing Japan's Imperial Household: how to maintain the number of family members as it continues to decline whenever female royals marry.

Why Japan Has Such a Unique Sexual Culture

Japan is often viewed abroad as a country with an unusually visible sexual culture, shaped by adult videos, erotic manga and a wide range of related subcultures. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

Bear Found in Bushes in Central Sendai Finally Culled

A bear that had remained in a residential area in central Sendai since early Sunday morning was euthanized last night in an emergency cull. No injuries were reported.

Father Who Maintained Innocence Dies in Prison

The family of a man granted a retrial over a robbery-murder case in Shiga Prefecture has called for revisions to Japan's retrial system, saying he was wrongfully arrested despite having an alibi.

Voyeurism Ringleader Sentenced to 2.5 Years Prison

A former elementary school teacher who managed an online group of educators involved in covert filming and image sharing has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison, in a case that has also raised concerns at universities training future teachers.

< 2 3 4 5 >