Japan to decide whether to downgrade COVID-19 on Friday
新型コロナ「5類」引き下げで“屋内原則マスク不要”の案検討 政府
TOKYO, Jan 19 (Nikkei) -
The Japanese government is set to decide Friday on whether to drop COVID-19 to its least serious category of infectious diseases this spring, Nikkei has learned.
The reclassification, which would put it on par with seasonal flu, would lead to major changes in how Japan responds to COVID-19, including public assistance for health care providers and patients, as well as quarantine guidelines.
Jan 19 (ANNnewsCH) - 新型コロナウイルスの感染症法上の位置付けを「5類」に引き下げた場合、屋内でのマスクの着用について症状のある人などを除き、原則として不要とする案を政府が検討していることが分かりました。 ...continue reading
Expressway tolls extended for 50 years to 2115
NOJ - Jun 02
Japan's House of Councillors pass a law Wednesday extending the deadline for collecting expressway tolls, which had been until 2065, by 50 years to 2115, TV Asahi reports.
Japan to channel billions of dollars into raising birth rate
DW News - Jun 02
The Japanese government on Thursday announced specific measures to curb falling birth rates by boosting financial support for households with children.
Japan aims to halve pollen emissions in 30 years to tackle hay fever
Kyodo - May 31
Japan on Tuesday unveiled a comprehensive policy package to tackle hay fever caused by pollen from cedar and cypress trees, aiming to halve emissions over the next 30 years.
Kishida fires son after scandal tarnishes image
Business Times - May 30
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would fire his son, who is working as his secretary, after a scandal over a party held at his official residence in late 2022.
Japan Self-Defense Force conducts large-scale live-fire drills
NHK - May 28
Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force has held its annual live-fire exercises at the foot of Mount Fuji in central Japan.
Japan's PM Kishida scolds son for partying at official residence
NHK - May 26
Japan's top government spokesperson says Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has reprimanded his secretary and son Shotaro over reported merrymaking in the leader's official residence.
Japan won't join NATO, but local office OK, Kishida says
Japan Today - May 25
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday the country had no plans to become a NATO member but acknowledged the security alliance's plan to open a liaison office in Japan.
Japan's lower house approves bill to pool funds for defense spending
Kyodo - May 24
Japan's lower house on Tuesday approved a bill creating a special pool of funds to substantially increase defense spending despite opposition lawmakers' resistance.
G7 Summit: China summons Japan's ambassador over criticism
Al Jazeera - May 23
Beijing has also responded angrily to statements made during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit, which wrapped up in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Sunday.
G7 spouses experience traditional culture
News On Japan - May 22
Spouses of the leaders who participated in the G7 Hiroshima Summit visited the 400-year-old “Shukkeien Garden” in Hiroshima, which has a history going back 400 years.
Wearable binoculars gifted to G-7 spouses by Japan PM's wife
Kyodo - May 22
Yuko Kishida, the wife of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, has gifted pairs of wearable binoculars to the spouses of the leaders of the Group of Seven countries and international organizations who attended the G-7 summit that concluded Sunday in Hiroshima, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Protest erupts in Seoul over Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge plan
CCTV Video News Agency - May 22
A massive protest erupted in South Korea's capital Seoul on Saturday against Japan's push for its controversial nuclear-contaminated water ocean discharge plan from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant despite intense international outcry.
Multinational demonstrators rally against G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan
CGTN - May 22
Local protesters were joined by demonstrators from the U.S., the Philippines and South Korea to rally against the ongoing Group of Seven (G7) summit and the possible establishment of an Asian version of NATO.
G7 ends with Ukraine in focus as Zelenskyy meets world leaders
taiwannews.com.tw - May 21
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy huddled with some of his biggest backers as the Group of Seven summit closed in Hiroshima on Sunday, building momentum for his country's war effort even as Russia claimed a symbolic victory on the battlefield.
Zelensky dominates summit as G7 leaders call out China
BBC - May 21
Volodymyr Zelensky made a scene-stealing arrival at the G7 summit in Japan on Saturday, as world leaders issued a veiled warning to China.
G7 summit communique stresses rules-based international order
NHK - May 21
Leaders of the Group of Seven nations have issued a communique stressing their commitment to reinforcing free and open international order based on the rule of law, continued support for Ukraine, and work towards a world free of nuclear weapons.
