Tokyo to ask restaurants to close early as cases hit new daily high

Jul 30, 2020 | News On Japan

Jul 30, 2020 (Nikkei) - Tokyo is set to request restaurants, bars and karaoke parlors to reduce operating hours as coronavirus cases in Japan's capital hit a new daily high.

The metropolitan government will ask establishments to close by 10 p.m. from Aug. 3 to the end of the month, Nikkei has learned. Those who comply will be eligible for a subsidy of 200,000 yen ($1,900).

In Japan, governments cannot legally mandate that businesses close down or shorten their hours.

The move comes as Tokyo confirmed 367 new cases on Thursday, Nikkei reported. People in their 20s and 30s account for about 60% of infections, but the proportion of higher risk people aged 40 or older is increasing.

Gov. Yuriko Koike and other officials have called upon people to refrain from nonessential trips but have still struggled to control the virus.

In an interview with the Nikkei Asian Review on Wednesday, Koike said asking restaurants and shops to close will be a "huge burden" for Tokyo's finances.

Subsidies to shop owners have been a financial drain on the metropolitan government that had already spent around 95% of its 935 billion yen ($8.9 billion) reserves set aside for emergencies.

Tokyo is not the only Japanese city suffering from the virus's resurgence since a nationwide state of emergency was lifted on May 25.

On Wednesday, the nation of about 126 million reported over 1,000 new daily coronavirus infections for the first time. Osaka reported 221 cases, and Aichi Prefecture, which includes Nagoya, posted 167 -- both new highs.

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.