Society

Japanese prefectural governors to seek restraint over summer travel

Aug 02 (Japan Times) - The National Governors’ Association on Sunday discussed a proposal for the government to ask the public to avoid summer holiday travel across prefectural borders, including trips to their parents’ homes during the Bon holidays, to help prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.

“We are at a critical juncture where we must stop the explosive spread of infections at any cost,” Kamon Iizumi, governor of Tokushima Prefecture and head of the association, said at the start of a teleconference of the group of prefectural governors.

The number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases had topped 10,000 for three consecutive days until Saturday.

In the proposal, the association cited the rapid resurgence in coronavirus infection cases blamed on the highly contagious delta variant and said that “we must not waste any time in containing the fifth wave of infections,” as flows of people will increase toward the culmination of the summer holiday season.

The proposal called on the national government to ask citizens to refrain from travel to their hometowns and trips to and from areas seeing spikes in coronavirus infections.

In particular, the association urged the central government to issue a strong message asking young people to change their behavior at a time when the proportion of youths in overall new cases has been rising. The central government was also requested to consider binding measures such as lockdown.

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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