National
Tokyo reports 418 new coronavirus cases; nationwide tally 2,052
The Tokyo metropolitan government on Sunday reported 418 new cases of the coronavirus, down 143 from Saturday. The number is the result of 7,047 tests conducted on Nov 26. The tally brought Tokyo's cumulative total to 40,628. By age group, the highest number of cases were people in their 20s… Read
Four perish in two residential fires in Tokyo
Four people died in two fires that destroyed their residences in Tokyo overnight. In Nerima Ward, a fire broke out in a three-story wooden house at around 7 a.m. Sunday, Sankei Shimbun reported. It took firefighters about three hours to extinguish the blaze. Police said a family of four lived… Read
Japanese firm, ex-employee reach rare settlement over LGBT outing
A man in his 20s has reached a rare out-of-court settlement with the company he used to work for after a superior outed him, or revealed his sexual orientation or gender identity without his consent, people involved in the case said Saturday. The firm in Tokyo's Toshima Ward has promised… Read
Call for shorter hours at Tokyo restaurants, bars takes effect
Tokyo on Saturday kicked off a 20-day period during which restaurants that serve alcohol and karaoke venues have been asked by the metropolitan government to shorten business hours to help combat a recent resurgence in coronavirus infections. The request comes two months after the lifting of a similar call and… Read
65% of Fukushima evacuees have no intention of returning home: survey
Sixty-five percent of the people who evacuated from Fukushima Prefecture after the March 2011 nuclear disaster have no intention of returning, according to a recent survey conducted by a Japanese university. While the survey, conducted by a research facility at Kwansei Gakuin University, only received responses from 522 of 4,876… Read
Tokyo reports 561 new coronavirus cases; nationwide tally 2,678
The Tokyo metropolitan government on Saturday reported 561 new cases of the coronavirus, down nine from Friday. The number is the result of 7,766 tests conducted on Nov 25. The tally brought Tokyo's cumulative total to 40,210. By age group, the highest number of cases were people in their 20s… Read
One dead, 11 injured after fishing boat, cargo ship collide in Ibaraki port
A man died and 11 others were injured after a leisure fishing boat capsized following a collision with a cargo vessel at a port in eastern Japan early Saturday morning, the Japan Coast Guard said. All 12 people from the fishing vessel were rescued from the sea but five passengers… Read
Suga says shorter hours for bars, restaurants crucial in stemming coronavirus spread
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday that shorter hours for bars and restasurants serving alcohol would be "crucial" in stemming the coronavirus spread, with other major cities Osaka, Nagoya and Sapporo having already taken or getting set to take similar steps. Speaking at a coronavirus task force meeting, Suga also… Read
Diet OKs end of Saturday, next-day standard postal delivery
The Diet on Friday gave the green light to stop Saturday as well as next-day delivery of standard postal mail to address a worker shortage and falling demand due to increased use of the internet. Under the revised postal law, the changes will take effect around next fall. But while… Read
Kagoshima governor OKs survey near proposed site for U.S. military drills
A local governor in southwestern Japan said Friday he will permit a marine boring survey around an uninhabited island that has been chosen as a site for relocating a U.S. military takeoff and landing training site under a long-stalled plan. Kagoshima Gov Koichi Shiota announced at a local assembly meeting… Read
