Society

Japan to ease curbs on social contact and let some facilities reopen

May 04 (Japan Times) - The government has decided to allow the reopening of parks, museums, libraries and other public facilities in areas with high coronavirus counts and to ease its request for slashing social contact, a senior official said Sunday.

As part of efforts to deal with public fatigue from the nationwide state of emergency, economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said at a news conference the government will permit such facilities to reopen if sufficient measures to slow the virusâ€™s spread are put in place.

The government will release guidelines on how to resume social activities on Monday, when it is expected to formally extend the state of emergency. A government source said Sunday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will extend the declaration until May 31. Abe will hold a news conference on the matter at 6 p.m. Monday.

The plan will even apply to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hokkaido, Fukuoka and eight other prefectures the government has singled out as needing stepped-up measures against the virus, said Nishimura, who is in charge of issues related to the emergency declaration.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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