Japan further tightens border entry restrictions

Apr 03, 2020 | News On Japan

Apr 03, 2020 (NHK) - Japan further tightened its border entry restrictions on Friday in an effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The government is calling on all arrivals from any part of the world to self-quarantine at home, hotels or elsewhere for two weeks. Travelers are asked to avoid using public transportation to get to those places. The measures will be in place through the end of this month.

The government also greatly expanded its list of countries and territories subject to entry refusal to 73. It is now denying entry to foreign nationals who visited any of these places within two weeks of their arrival in Japan.

The newest additions to the list include the United States, Canada and Britain. This means that people from almost all areas of Europe will be denied entry. It also covers China and South Korea in their entirety.

Japanese returning from any of the 73 countries and territories will have to be tested for the virus whether or not they show symptoms.

The same arrangement also applies to foreign nationals who are allowed to enter Japan for special reasons, such as having Japanese spouses.

The government is considering securing airport areas, hotel rooms and other places for these arrivals to stay in while waiting for their test results. It is also weighing the possibility of financially helping with the accommodation fees.

The government plans to keep the entry ban list in effect for the time being. It will examine the situation in the future to decide when to end the measure.

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.