Society

Tokyo area extends shorter business hours over virus rebound worries

Mar 24 (Kyodo) - Tokyo and nearby prefectures decided Wednesday to extend their requests for businesses to shorten operating hours until next month as part of efforts to curb the risk of a rebound of the novel coronavirus in the metropolitan area.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and the governors of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures agreed in an online meeting to continue asking establishments such as restaurants to close by 9 p.m. until April 21, while vowing to work together to stem the resurgence of infections.

They will also keep asking food service operators to stop serving alcohol by 8 p.m.

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Wednesday confirmed 420 new infections, hitting the 400-level for the first time in a week.

The number of daily infections in Tokyo has been slightly trending upward since mid-March, with the rolling seven-day average of new cases persisting high at around 300. The three other prefectures have also seen their daily cases at three-digit figures multiple times in the past week.

Source: ANNnewsCH

Student's Homemade Bomb Sparks School Lockdown in Sapporo

A suspicious object feared to be explosive was discovered at a high school in Sapporo on the afternoon of November 22nd, causing temporary chaos. The object was found to have been brought to the school by one of its students.

China to resume visa-exemptions for short-term Japanese travelers

China says it will resume allowing visa-free visits by Japanese nationals on short-term trips from the end of this month. (NHK)

Japan Grapples with Poverty and Rising 'Invisible Homeless'

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Ueno Toshogu Shrine Shines in Gold with Special Lighting

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World's First Fiber Made From Bagworm Silk Revolutionizes Industry

A Japanese pharmaceutical company has announced the successful commercialization of fiber made from silk produced by bagworms.

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