News On Japan

2 cases at Village are S.Africa soccer players

Jul 19, 2021 (NHK) - The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee has confirmed that two athletes who tested positive for the coronavirus are players of South Africa's men's soccer team staying at the Athletes' Village.

The committee on Sunday identified the two players as defender Thabiso Monyane and midfielder Kamohelo Mahlatsi.

The committee had reported the two infections earlier in the day, but revealed no details. These were the first positive cases reported among athletes staying at the village.

The committee is not disclosing details of other infected athletes and staff.

But it decided to make the information on these two athletes public after South Africa's Olympic Committee confirmed the infections of the two players, as well as a video analyst.

South Africa is scheduled to play Japan in a group stage match on Thursday.

The committee says the three people are being isolated in a hotel outside the Olympic Village.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump held talks at United Nations headquarters in New York in the early hours of September 23 Japan time, demonstrating the strength of the Japan-US alliance and confirming close cooperation on China ahead of an upcoming US-China summit.

Rail services across Chiba Prefecture remained severely disrupted on the morning of September 23, three days after Typhoon No. 25 brought torrential rain to eastern Japan, with extensive suspensions on the Uchibo, Sotobo, Sobu Main and Narita lines expected to continue throughout the final day of the Silver Week holiday. Although some services have resumed and flights at Tokyo's major airports are recovering, damage to railway tracks and embankments is preventing a return to normal operations in several areas.

Typhoon No. 25 has left seven people dead and five missing in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, with rescue operations continuing on September 23 as the extent of devastating landslides and flooding across the Kanto region becomes clearer, while widespread power outages, disrupted rail services and submerged neighborhoods hamper recovery efforts.

The road leading to Otemon Gate at Tokyo's Imperial Palace was flooded on September 22 after heavy rain from a typhoon caused water in the surrounding moat to overflow.

Japan came within two runs of producing one of international cricket's biggest upsets on September 22, pushing reigning T20 world champion India to the final ball before losing a rain-shortened match at Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.

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