Society

Japan to double coronavirus checks at major airports to 20,000 daily

Oct 04 (Japan Times) - The government will double the daily number of airport checks for the coronavirus to about 20,000 following the recent relaxation of entry restrictions, health minister Norihisa Tamura said Saturday.

Tamura revealed the plan to reporters after taking a firsthand look at quarantine operations at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, and Haneda Airport in Ota Ward.

Japan partially resumed accepting people from the rest of the world, effective Thursday, allowing entry by foreign nationals planning to stay in Japan for at least three months.

Tamura said he thinks that there is a need for quarantine checks mainly from business travelers.

For people arriving from abroad, Japan started saliva-based antigen tests in July, in addition to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, enabling examinations to be completed in a shorter time.

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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Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

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