Coronavirus outbreak updates: June 4, 2020

As of 11 p.m., Thursday, June 4 (Japan time)

• Finance Minister Taro Aso said Thursday that Japan's relatively low mortality rate from the new coronavirus reflects the higher "level of social manners" of Japanese people.
  
  
• China said Thursday that it will allow foreign air carriers to increase their flights to the country next week, depending on the number of passengers infected with the new pneumonia-causing coronavirus.
  
  
• A western Japan city initially excluded people with no bank account from the blanket cash handout program as part of the central government's coronavirus response on the assumption that most such citizens belong to organized crime groups
  
  
• New car sales of Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. in China surged in May, the manufacturer said Thursday, underscoring its business in the country is on a recovery track with concern over the new coronavirus outbreak easing.
  
  
• Foreign residents of Japan who should be allowed back into the country on humanitarian grounds will be exempt from the country's entry ban, the Justice Ministry has said.
  
  
• Japan's prefectural governors on Thursday discussed joint proposals for how to revive the country's economy from the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic while preventing a second wave of infections at the same time.
  
  
• Japan is considering simplifying the format of next year's Tokyo Olympics following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, a government source said Thursday.
  
  
• The U.S. government said Wednesday it will block Chinese passenger airlines from flying into and from the United States starting June 16 in response to what it considers as China's unfair treatment of U.S. carriers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Updates on major shops, facilities as economy reopens in Japan

As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, June 3 (Japan time)

• Two Yomiuri Giants players have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Central League team announced Wednesday, casting a shadow over Nippon Professional Baseball's plan to start the 2020 season on June 19.
  
  
• The Chinese government has stepped up the number of visas being issued to Japanese citizens after limiting it for months following the coronavirus pandemic, a diplomatic source familiar with bilateral ties said Wednesday.
  
  
• The LPGA of Japan Tour will kick off on June 25 behind closed doors with the Earth Mondahmin Cup, the Japan Ladies Professional Golfers' Association and tournament organizers announced Wednesday.

• A team of Japanese researchers has succeeded in creating miniature bronchi from human cells that can be used to study the novel coronavirus and help develop drugs for COVID-19, according to a paper recently released online.
  
  
• The International Extreme Sports Festival, known as FISE, will be held completely online for the first time this summer in response to social distancing measures prompted by the global coronavirus pandemic.
  
  
• Japanese drugmakers are accelerating their development of vaccines for the novel coronavirus even as foreign rivals seem to be leading the global race, with the government pushing homegrown efforts to secure stable supplies for the country.
  
  
• Nagoya Grampus forward Mu Kanazaki has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the J-League first division team said Tuesday, less than a week after Japan's pro football establishment decided to resume the season halted by the virus.
  
  
• Only about 30 percent of Japanese companies operating in the United States plan to have all their employees return to office work by the end of the year, a survey showed Tuesday, even as state governments move to ease coronavirus-triggered lockdowns.