Influenza wave drastically wanes in Japan amid spread of coronavirus

Feb 21, 2020 | News On Japan

Feb 21, 2020 (Japan Times) - A wave of influenza has been significantly waning in Japan compared with last year, government data has shown, as many people have become wary of infection with a new pneumonia-causing coronavirus.

For the week through Feb. 9, the number of reported influenza cases plunged more than 60 percent from a year earlier to 44,737, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. During the same period last year, 129,989 cases were reported.

The health ministry also said the number of schools that were forced to close classes due to influenza outbreaks was 1,760 for the seven days from Feb. 3, sharply down from 3,204 in the same week of 2019.

The new COVID-19 coronavirus, first detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has so far infected more than 70,000 people and killed over 2,000. The city is a major business and transportation hub with a population of some 11 million.

In Japan, daily media reports have focused the situation on the Diamond Princess, a coronavirus-hit cruise ship docked in Yokohama, prompting many citizens to wash their hands, gargle, wear masks and avoid crowds.

â€œMany Japanese people have become serious about taking measures to prevent infection with the new coronavirus. This might be one of the reasons why influenza cases dropped this year,â€ said Yoko Muramatsu, a researcher at the NLI Research Institute.

In Tokyo, masks and alcohol-based hand sanitizers have sold out at pharmacies and convenience stores, as medical experts have emphasized that preventive steps against the new coronavirus are similar to those against influenza and colds.

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.