Society

Barbecue party suspected as cause of infections among GSDF personnel

Oct 06 (Japan Times) - A barbecue party held in a closed, crowded and close-contact setting may have led to the spread of the coronavirus among Ground Self-Defense Force personnel, officials of the Defense Ministry's Ground Staff Office said Monday.

Twenty-nine female GSDF members who participated in an educational course between early July and late September have tested positive for the virus, including one whose infection was confirmed Tuesday. The program was offered at the GSDF's Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture.

The 28 members belong to bases in 15 prefectures, including Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Shizuoka, Nagano, Kyoto, Okayama, Saga and Okinawa. They tested positive on or after last Wednesday, when they returned to their respective bases after finishing the course, which was organized for female personnel, according to the officials.

The barbecue party, joined by 44 personnel, was held in Saitama on Sept. 26, a day off from the course, with the participants using private buses to travel to and from the site.

Japan’s LDP and Ishin Seal Coalition Deal

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Typhoon No. 24 (Fung-shen) Strengthens Over South China Sea, Heavy Rain Forecast For Japan

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Tourist Graffiti Threatens Kyoto’s Iconic Bamboo Forest

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Japanese Streaming Services Struggle Against Netflix

Japan’s streaming industry is under growing pressure as foreign giants tighten their grip on the domestic market, with Netflix’s latest move to secure exclusive broadcast rights in Japan for every game of the World Baseball Classic next March highlighting the widening gap.

Japan Tightens Rules on Foreign Business Visas

Investigators from the Immigration Services Agency conducted on-site inspections in Osaka on October 14th amid a surge in so-called 'paper companies' created by foreign nationals seeking residency.

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