Japan finds 41 more virus infections on Diamond Princess; two more cruise ships turned away

Feb 08, 2020 | News On Japan

Feb 08, 2020 (Japan Times) - Fears of an epidemic on board a cruise ship off Yokohama came to a head Friday as the health ministry reported 41 more coronavirus infections, bringing the total to 61 so far.

Health minister Katsunobu Kato said the new cases on board the Diamond Princess emerged from the remaining 171 samples taken from 273 passengers who showed symptoms or who had close contact with symptomatic passengers.

Kato said the health ministry is planning to expand the testing to cover seniors and people with pre-existing conditions.

Elsewhere, authorities in Taiwan confirmed the same day that a cruise ship off Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, that was not allowed to dock in Japan will be allowed to return to Keelung, near Taipei, according to local media reports.

The approval came a day after Taiwanâ€™s ban on cruise ships took effect amid the mass outbreak on the Diamond Princess.

The 41 infected passengers reported Friday on the Diamond Princess range in age from their 20s to their 80s. Twenty-one of them are Japanese citizens, he said.

About 3,700 passengers and crew members were on the Diamond Princess when it was put under a two-week quarantine off Yokohama on Wednesday. They wonâ€™t be allowed to disembark until at least Feb. 19, Princess Cruises said.

The ship came to the attention of medical authorities when it was revealed that a man who left it on Jan. 25 in Hong Kong was infected. Two people who had close contact with him later tested positive for the coronavirus.

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.