Society

Doctors for Olympic venues are withdrawing

Jun 03 (NHK) - NHK has learned that doctors in charge of medical service at competition venues in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are withdrawing. Some of them have cited their busy work schedule.

The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee plans to assign doctors called Venue Medical Officer, or VMO, to each site.

Members of VMO, including emergency medical doctors at university hospitals, supervise medical staff in treating athletes and spectators in case of developing fevers, or in the aftermath of disasters and acts of terrorism.

The organizing committee is working to secure doctors who will cover those who have pulled out.

In May, it asked the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine to recommend about seven doctors who will cooperate.

At competition sites during the Tokyo Games, medical rooms for athletes and separate ones for spectators are to be set up. Tents are also to be prepared for isolating people with a fever.

Osaka Police End 14-Hour Siege

Police in Osaka arrested a 48-year-old man on October 22nd after a tense 14-hour standoff in which he allegedly held a woman at knifepoint inside an apartment. A special tactical unit forced entry into the residence late at night, ending the standoff without injuries.

Imperial Family Pays Tribute to War Victims

The Emperor, Empress, and their daughter Princess Aiko visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward on Thursday afternoon, marking their first visit to the site as Japan observes the 80th year since the end of World War II. They were greeted upon arrival by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and other officials.

First Snow Caps Mount Fuji, 15 Days Earlier Than Last Year

The Kofu Local Meteorological Observatory announced on October 23rd that the season’s first snow had been observed on Mount Fuji, which stands 3,776 meters tall. Around 6 a.m., an official visually confirmed that snow had clearly accumulated near the summit.

Tokyo’s Aging Expressway Reborn After Major Overhaul

After nearly a decade of construction, the newly rebuilt Haneda Line of the Metropolitan Expressway, one of Tokyo’s key arteries linking the city center with Haneda Airport, has been unveiled to the media ahead of its official switch to a new road on October 29th.

New Cabinet Takes On 'Takaichi Color'

The newly launched Takaichi Cabinet moved into full operation on October 22nd, with early personnel decisions revealing a clear conservative tone. Satsuki Katayama was appointed as finance minister and Kimi Onoda as minister in charge of foreign resident policy, underscoring what observers are calling the emergence of a distinct “Takaichi color.”

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