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Japan slowly opens tourist spots amid concerns over coronavirus flare-ups

Jun 02, 2020 (Kyodo) - Many tourist spots across Japan reopened Monday, a week after the full lifting of a state of emergency, with precautions in place against the novel coronavirus amid growing concern over a second wave of infections.

The Japanese capital's landmark Tokyo Skytree tower reopened with shortened visiting hours and measures to prevent infections after a three-month closure.

The operator of the 634-meter tower asked elementary school students and older visitors to wear face masks and use sanitizers at its entrance, among other measures.

Shirakawa and Nanto, central Japan, each opened a group of traditional thatched-roof houses after closing them for about a month. The two areas are registered on the World Heritage list as a cultural site straddling Gifu and Toyama prefectures.

In southwestern Japan, Kumamoto Castle, currently undergoing reconstruction work after massive earthquakes in 2016, welcomed residents of Kumamoto Prefecture with a newly constructed passage. It plans to accept other visitors from June 19 when a request for people to avoid crossing prefectural borders ends.

On Monday, the Imperial Household Agency said it will reopen the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace grounds to the public from Tuesday after a closure of around two months. It will limit the number of visitors to 50 each in the morning and afternoon, and ask them to wear face masks as a measure against the coronavirus.

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Japan began applying a new numerical alcohol threshold for dangerous driving offenses on July 21, introducing a clearer standard for cases involving impaired driving that could lead to fatal accidents.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government approved its first annual basic economic and fiscal policy on Tuesday, pledging "responsible and proactive fiscal policy" and envisioning about 370 trillion yen in public- and private-sector investment in strategic industries through fiscal 2040.

A covert network of shuttle tankers is carrying crude through the increasingly dangerous Strait of Hormuz as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran disrupts shipping and raises concerns over how Japan will secure the oil it needs.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has criticized moves by Japanese and Ukrainian companies to cooperate on drone technology, warning that such ties would be regarded by Moscow as a "clear hostile act."

The rainy season ended in the Kanto-Koshin and Tokai regions on July 20 as strengthening high pressure brought intense heat across Japan, with temperatures forecast to reach 38 C in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, and Kofu.

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