Society

Serious COVID patients to be hospitalized longer

Feb 19 (NHK) - Japan's health ministry has decided to require patients with serious cases of COVID-19 to remain hospitalized for at least 15 days after they start showing symptoms.

The ministry reviewed its standards for discharging patients who have been put on ventilators or ECMO machines.

The ministry says an overseas study found that such patients could remain transmission risks for about 15 days after developing symptoms.

The ministry will ask these patients to self-quarantine in specific rooms at their homes and observe other anti-infection measures even after they are discharged from hospital until 20 total days pass from when they first began showing symptoms.

The ministry will notify local governments of these changes in the near future.

Current guidelines require patients to be hospitalized for at least 10 days after they start developing symptoms, including for 72 hours after their conditions improve sufficiently. After these criteria are met, patients do not have to undergo coronavirus testing as they are considered to be low transmission risks.

Dust Storms Forecast To Hit Tokyo

Rain will affect many parts of Japan mainly through the morning on Tuesday, before clearer skies return in the afternoon. However, yellow sand blowing in from the Asian continent is expected to spread across a wide area after the rain, raising concerns over reduced visibility and worsening health conditions. Daytime temperatures will climb, with many areas in Kanto expected to reach 25C or higher.

Japan Gov't Warns of Possible Megaquake

Japan's weather agency and the Cabinet Office issued a 'Hokkaido-Sanriku Offshore Subsequent Earthquake Advisory' after an earthquake measuring upper 5 on Japan's seismic intensity scale struck off Sanriku.

New Shinkansen Reservation Service Lets Users Book in One Minute

JR East has launched a preview version of its new online Shinkansen booking platform, JRE GO, promising reservations in as little as one minute and easier handling of sudden schedule changes.

Bear Found in Bushes in Central Sendai Finally Culled

A bear that had remained in a residential area in central Sendai since early Sunday morning was euthanized last night in an emergency cull. No injuries were reported.

Father Admits Killing and Body Abandonment in Kyoto

Police investigating the death of an 11-year-old boy whose body was found in a forest in Kyoto Prefecture believe his father moved the remains between several locations over a number of days in an apparent attempt to conceal the crime.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

One Dead in Yakuza Office Fire in Okinawa

A fire broke out at a four-story apartment building in Okinawa City in the early hours of April 19th, leaving one person dead, with authorities suspecting the victim may be a man in his 70s who served as chairman of a local crime group.

Father Claimed Son Was Missing Before Disappearance

A 37-year-old father arrested over the alleged abandonment of his son's body in a forest in Kyoto Prefecture may have contacted associates to say the child had gone missing before the boy's school informed the family, investigators said.

Osaka University Student Arrested for Recruitng 'Dark' Workers

A 20-year-old university student has been arrested on suspicion of breaking into an apartment in Osaka and stealing cash, with police believing he played a key role in recruiting minors for illegal work schemes.

Spring Garden Party Highlights Shrinking Imperial Family

The annual spring garden party, held at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo, has once again drawn attention to a pressing issue facing Japan's Imperial Household: how to maintain the number of family members as it continues to decline whenever female royals marry.

Why Japan Has Such a Unique Sexual Culture

Japan is often viewed abroad as a country with an unusually visible sexual culture, shaped by adult videos, erotic manga and a wide range of related subcultures. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

Bear Found in Bushes in Central Sendai Finally Culled

A bear that had remained in a residential area in central Sendai since early Sunday morning was euthanized last night in an emergency cull. No injuries were reported.

Father Who Maintained Innocence Dies in Prison

The family of a man granted a retrial over a robbery-murder case in Shiga Prefecture has called for revisions to Japan's retrial system, saying he was wrongfully arrested despite having an alibi.

Voyeurism Ringleader Sentenced to 2.5 Years Prison

A former elementary school teacher who managed an online group of educators involved in covert filming and image sharing has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison, in a case that has also raised concerns at universities training future teachers.

< 2 3 4 5 >