May 08 (BBC) - A state of emergency has been extended in several regions of Japan as Covid-19 cases surge, less than three months before the Tokyo Olympics.
Restrictions in Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto had been due to end on 11 May, but will now remain in place until the end of the month.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also said they had added Aichi and Fukuoka to the regions under a state of emergency.
The move casts more doubt on whether the Olympics will go ahead as planned.
A new hot spring facility, touted as the largest in Kanto, opened this autumn in Tokorozawa, Saitama. Featuring saunas, gourmet collaborations, and private relaxation spaces, the complex has already garnered attention from enthusiasts.
A strong earthquake hit Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, at around 10: 47 p.m. on Tuesday. The quake registered an intensity of lower 5 on the Japanese seismic scale of 0 to 7. No tsunami was observed. There are no reports of damage caused by the earthquake. (NHK)
An explosion and fire have halted a combustion test of Japan's new Epsilon S solid-fuel rocket at the Tanegashima Space Center in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima. (NHK)
Kozo Iizuka, a former senior official convicted in a 2019 car crash in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, that killed two people and injured nine others, has died at the age of 93. Iizuka passed away in October, reportedly due to natural causes.
The Governor of Hyogo Prefecture in western Japan has expressed his view that there were no illegalities in his election campaign. The remark came as some are accusing him of violating the public offices election law over the use of a PR company in the campaign. (NHK)
A man in Fukuoka Prefecture who was arrested for breaking into aafter admitting to trespassing over 1,000 times, citing the adrenaline rush as the primary motivation.
Kozo Iizuka, a former senior official convicted in a 2019 car crash in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, that killed two people and injured nine others, has died at the age of 93. Iizuka passed away in October, reportedly due to natural causes.
Touchless harassment, a form of obscene behavior that does not involve physical contact, is drawing increasing attention in Japan. Last month, Kyoto Prefectural Police arrested a man for persistently sniffing a girl's hair.
The 'Itami Madan' festival promoting multicultural harmony across national boundaries was held on Saturday in Itami, Hyogo Prefecture, featuring the 'janggu,' a traditional Korean drum.
A renowned Japanese photographer based in New York, Yasuomi Hashimura, known for his groundbreaking contributions to American advertising photography, died after being pushed on the street by a man.
A wake for Princess Yuriko of Mikasa was held at her residence within the Akasaka Estate, attended by members of the Imperial family, including Princess Aiko, the eldest daughter of the Emperor and Empress.
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.
A man with a distinctive snake-like tattoo on his face has been arrested for shoplifting and assaulting a convenience store employee in Tokyo. The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Masakatsu Echizenya, is accused of stealing items from a store around noon on November 15th and violently attacking the employee who confronted him.
