Japan

Japan’s tuna market, the world’s largest, hit hard by coronavirus pandemic

Japan's tuna market, the world's largest, is taking an outsized hit from the coronavirus pandemic, pressuring restaurants and wholesalers at Tokyo's sprawling Toyosu fish market to adapt to survive. Businesses…

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Japanese coast guard says rescued cattle ship crew has died

The Japanese coast guard said a man rescued earlier on Friday who was believed to be one of the crew of a capsized cattle ship has died, Kyodo news said.…

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In race to replace Japan’s Abe, loyalist Suga emerges as strong contender

Yoshihide Suga, a longtime lieutenant of Japan's Shinzo Abe, has emerged as a strong contender to succeed him as prime minister, an outcome that would extend the fiscal and monetary…

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What’s next after Japan PM Abe resigned? Potential successors?

The abrupt news that Japan's longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe resign over a worsening health condition, set off a flurry of attention on Friday over the path ahead for the…

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Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigns

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned on Friday due to health reasons. Abe said he would not comment on his potential successors, but added that the next premier should continue…

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Japan, eyes Olympics through vaccination

Japan is making an aggressive move to grab enough coronavirus vaccine to inoculate its population four times over, a push the government hopes will instil confidence that it can host…

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Reports Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set to resign

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to resign, national broadcaster NHK said on Friday, adding that he wanted to avoid causing problems to government due to a worsening of…

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Researchers in Japan say ozone effective in neutralising coronavirus

Japanese researchers said on Wednesday that low concentrations of ozone can neutralise coronavirus particles, potentially providing a way for hospitals to disinfect examination rooms and waiting areas. Scientists at Fujita…

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Japan’s Abe says wants to do his best at job, amid worries over health

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to take care of his health and do his utmost at his job, he said on Monday, after a second hospital visit within days…

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Another hospital visit by Japan PM Abe stokes health worries

A motorcade carrying Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe entered a Tokyo hospital on Monday again stoking concerns about his ability to continue as leader due to health issues and fatigue…

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Japan PM Abe returns to office after health exam, says ready to work

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to his office on Wednesday, telling reporters he was ready to work two days after undergoing a medical check-up at a Tokyo hospital. "I…

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Japan’s record economic plunge wipes out Abe era gains

Japan was hit by its biggest economic slump on record in the second quarter as the coronavirus pandemic emptied shopping malls and crushed demand for cars and other exports, bolstering…

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Japan PM Abe taken to hospital

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe entered a Tokyo hospital on Monday for a medical check-up and plans to return home later in the day, a government source familiar with the…

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Japan to send team to Mauritius to assist in oil spill

Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Saturday Tokyo planned to send a team of officials from the ministry and other specialists to Mauritius to assess the damage from an…

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Japan marks 75 years since end of WWII

Japanese Emperor Naruhito expressed “deep remorse” over the country’s wartime past and prayed for world peace on Saturday, the 75th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War Two. “I earnestly…

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Japan introduces food delivery robot to promote social distancing

Japan's robotic technology company ZMP Inc. has made a test run of DeliRo, a delivery robot to help enforce social distancing in catering establishments. The robot demonstrated remote online ordering…

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Photo Story: Nagasaki marks 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing in 1945

Doves fly over the Peace Statue at Nagasaki Peace Park during the memorial ceremony in Nagasaki, southwestern Japan, 09 August 2020, marking the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing in…

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Hiroshima marks 75 years since atomic bombing in scaled-back ceremony

Bells tolled in Hiroshima on Thursday for the 75th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing, with ceremonies downsized due to the novel coronavirus and the mayor urging nations to…

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Photo Story: Japan prepares for 75th anniversary of Hiroshima, Nagasaki bombing

A man walks past the Atomic Bomb Dome at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, 05 August 2020. On 06 August 2020 Japan will mark the 75th anniversary of the…

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Doctors in Japan caution against domestic travel amid COVID-19 resurgence

Japanese holidaymakers should refrain from domestic travel and regional governments should act independently to contain a resurgence of coronavirus infections, the country's top doctors' association said on Wednesday. Japan Medical…

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UK says trade talks with Japan making good progress, hopes to conclude shortly

Britain hopes to conclude a trade agreement with Japan shortly, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday, ahead of an official visit to London by Japanese Foreign…

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Tokyo reconsidering declaring an emergency in view of spike in cases

Tokyo confirmed 292 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, after cases rose by more than 400 in the past two days, public broadcaster NHK said. With Sunday's figure in Tokyo, the…

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Tokyo reports record 472 new coronavirus cases on Saturday

The number of new coronavirus cases confirmed in Tokyo was around 472 on Saturday, a new record, NHK public television quoted Tokyo officials as saying. It was the second day…

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Tokyo announces highest daily number of COVID-19 in the Japanese capital

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced over 350 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed on 30 July, the highest daily number in the Japanese capital. Japan is bracing for a…

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Photo Story: Mannequins help keep social distancing in Japan

A waitress walks among mannequins use to keep social distancing at tables of a Chinese cuisine restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, 27 July 2020. Japan's total number of COVID-19 cases crossed…

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Tokyo confirms 239 new coronavirus cases on Sunday

Tokyo officials confirmed 239 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, Japanese media reported, as the capital struggles with a resurgence in cases after the government lifted a state of emergency. The…

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Japan’s travel ban has hit 85% of European businesses there

Japan's travel ban to stop the spread of the coronavirus has hit a majority of European firms in the country and could prompt those businesses to rethink their future in…

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Japan’s capital sets new daily record of 300 coronavirus infections

Japan's capital has reported 366 new coronavirus cases, Yuriko Koike, the governor of Tokyo, said on Thursday, a new daily record fuelling fears of a second round of infections. As…

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Confusion swirls as Japan launches tourism campaign amid virus surge

Japan on Wednesday kicked off a national travel campaign aimed at reviving its battered tourism industry, but the effort has drawn heavy criticism amid a jump in new coronavirus cases.…

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Japan approves dexamethasone as coronavirus treatment

Japan's health ministry has approved dexamethasone, a cheap and widely used steroid, as a second treatment of COVID-19 after a trial in Britain showed the drug reduced death rates in…

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Tokyo confirms 206 new cases of coronavirus infections on Sunday

Tokyo officials confirmed 206 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, public broadcaster NHK reported, as Japan's capital struggles with a resurgence in cases after the government lifted a state of emergency.…

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Fujifilm’s Avigan drug yielded inconclusive results as a treatment of Covid-19

A clinical trial in Japan of Fujifilm Holdings Corp’s Avigan drug yielded inconclusive results as a treatment of Covid-19. The drug, which has been shown to cause birth defects in…

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Photo Story: Tokyo aquarium unveils a 14-meter-wide jellyfish tank

A woman looks at jellyfish swimming in a 14-meter-wide tank at Sunshine Aquarium in Tokyo, Japan, the day of the opening of the new jellyfish area. The Sunshine Aquarium reopened…

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Photo Story: Floods devastate southwestern Japan

A resident takes his belongings out of his damaged car in the aftermath of torrential rains and floods in Sakamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu island, Japan, 10 July 2020. At least…

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Japan urges nightclubs to act to stem coronavirus spikes

Japanese host and hostess clubs must act quickly to ensure they abide by rules to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus after nightlife districts became new hot spots in…

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Tokyo coronavirus cases hit record daily high

Tokyo has recorded 224 new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, public broadcaster NHK said, marking a new daily record in Japan's capital since the crisis began. The total confirmed…

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Nearly 40 feared dead in floods in southwest Japan

Nearly 40 people were feared dead as torrential rains continued to hit Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu, with river banks at risk of bursting on Monday morning and new evacuation…

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Japan’s ‘most powerful’ woman wins second term as Tokyo governor

Yuriko Koike was re-elected Tokyo governor on Sunday, according to an exit poll released by public broadcaster NHK, after winning over voters with her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in…

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Japan braces for return of torrential southern rains that killed 16

Torrential rains that hit Japan's southern island of Kyushu killed 16 people, with 13 going missing and 17 showing no vital signs, public broadcaster NHK said on Sunday, as the weather…

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Tokyo new coronavirus infections over 100 for third day

Tokyo confirmed about 130 new cases of infections of the coronavirus on Saturday, a third consecutive day with more than 100 new cases, public broadcaster NHK reported. Cases in Tokyo…

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Heavy flooding in southwestern Japan

Japan is sending thousands of troops to join rescue operations on the southern island of Kyushu, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Saturday, as three people were reported badly injured…

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Tokyo registers more than 100 more coronavirus cases

Tokyo confirmed more than 100 more novel coronavirus infections on Thursday, public broadcaster NHK said, the highest daily tally in two months in the city at the centre of Japan's…

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Tokyo Disney reopens

Tokyo Disney Resort welcomed visitors on Wednesday for the first time in four months after being closed due to the coronavirus, with fans practicing social distance as they returned to…

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Japan to consider military strike capability

Japan is to consider the acquisition of weapons able to strike enemy missile launchers to bolster defence against North Korea after a decision to cancel the Aegis Ashore missile defence…

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Olympus says to sell camera business to Japan Industrial Partners

Japan's Olympus Corp said on Wednesday it had agreed to sell its loss-making camera business dating back 84 years to Japan Industrial Partners Inc. Olympus said in a statement it…

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World’s most powerful supercomputer to search for COVID-19 cure

Japan's new Fugaku supercomputer, which has this week been declared the most powerful in the world, is to be used to search for a potential cure for the coronavirus. Based…

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Office cluster pushes Tokyo coronavirus cases to 1-1/2-month high

Tokyo's new coronavirus cases climbed to 55 on Wednesday, public broadcaster NHK said, the highest tally in 1-1/2 months after a cluster of infections was found at an unnamed office…

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Japan’s success in curbing COVID-19 cases now hampers search for cures

As nations race to develop treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, Japan has become a victim of its own success as slowing new infections has led to a shortage of patients…

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EU and Japan sign agreement on civil aviation safety

The European Commission and Japan have signed an agreement on civil aviation safety, which will further boost the EU's already strong cooperation with Japan and reinforce the competitiveness of the…

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China threatens Japan after vote to change status of disputed islands

China said on Monday (June 22) it reserves the right to respond to a Japanese city's decision to rename the administrative area that includes remote islands claimed by both China…

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Nissan cuts more shifts at Japan car plants due to low demand

Nissan Motor Co on Friday said it will cut more shifts at its three assembly plants in Japan due to falling demand, as the automaker struggles to recover from a…

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Japan lifts coronavirus travel curbs to help economy bounce back

Japan lifted all coronavirus-related curbs on domestic travel on Friday, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calling on people to go sightseeing or attend concerts and other events to help the…

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Japanese researchers confirm coronavirus testing in sewers as possible outbreak warning system

Japanese researchers confirmed the presence of the coronavirus in wastewater plants, a finding that could serve as a signal for future outbreaks. The study tested water from four treatment…

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No easing of entry ban in Japan

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Monday it was not true the government had decided to ease an entry ban, which was implemented to prevent the spread of the…

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Tokyo confirms 47 new coronavirus cases on Sunday

Tokyo confirmed 47 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, Asahi television reported, the highest since the government lifted the state of emergency nationwide in late May. The daily figure was also…

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Japan eyes partial reopening to business trips this summer

Japan may restart business trips to and from Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam and Thailand as early this summer, easing an entry ban to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus,…

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Japan braces for worst postwar economic slump

Japan's economy braced for its worst postwar slump even as first-quarter GDP contracted less than initially thought, as the coronavirus crisis slams the brakes on global growth and raises pressure…

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