Society

Travel agency H.I.S. sees sales plunge 80% in Nov.-Jan. quarter over virus

Mar 16 (Japan Times) - Major travel agency H.I.S. Co. said Monday its sales plunged 80.5% to Y38.86 billion ($356 million) in the November-January quarter from a year earlier due to a sharp decrease in travel demand caused by the continuing novel coronavirus pandemic.

H.I.S. logged an operating loss of Y11.68 billion and a net loss of Y7.98 billion in the three months through January, as the virus hit the tourism industry hard.

Governments around the world have restricted the entry of travelers at their borders in a bid to contain the COVID-19 disease, while the Japanese government suspended its nationwide travel subsidy program, aimed to help the tourism sector, on Dec. 28 due to a resurgence of virus infections across the country.

H.I.S. saw its domestic travel upbeat in November and December thanks to the Go To Travel campaign. But sales dived when the program was halted and another state of emergency declared by the government in January in the Tokyo metropolitan area and some other prefectures.

Over 300 New Geoglyphs Discovered by Yamagata University in Nazca

Yamagata University, which has been conducting research on the Nazca geoglyphs in Peru, announced the discovery of over 300 new geoglyphs, depicting a variety of subjects, including humans and animals.

University of Tokyo Raises Tuition Fees for First Time in 20 Years

The University of Tokyo has officially decided to increase tuition by approximately 110,000 yen for incoming undergraduate students starting next academic year, bringing the total to 642,960 yen.

Death toll rises to 9 in Japan's Ishikawa following heavy rain

Emergency officials say the death toll from record rainfall in Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture has risen to nine. (NHK)

Russian military plane intrudes into Japanese airspace, Tokyo lodges protest

A Japanese government spokesperson says a Russian military airplane entered Japanese airspace three times on Monday. (NHK)

Kishida vows in meeting with Zelenskyy continued support for Ukraine

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has conveyed his country's intention to maintain support for Ukraine to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (NHK)

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