Coronavirus outbreak updates: Jan. 28, 2021

As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 28

• Global public debt is estimated to have reached 97.6 percent of the world's gross domestic product at the end of 2020, as countries took aggressive fiscal action to cushion the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the International Monetary Fund said Thursday.
  
  
• Japan's parliament enacted Thursday a third extra budget for fiscal 2020 totaling 19.18 trillion yen ($185 billion) to ramp up measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic, despite criticism of the government over how the money will be used.
  
  
• Japan's wine imports in 2020 decreased 7.0 percent from the previous year on a volume basis, as stay-at-home requests amid the novel coronavirus pandemic dampened demand from restaurants and bars, government data showed Thursday.
  
  
• The so-called world's largest human migration period began on Thursday in China ahead of the Feb. 11 start of the weeklong Lunar New Year holidays, amid mounting concern over another wave of novel coronavirus infections at home.
  
  
• The Philippines' economy shrank 9.5 percent in 2020 as coronavirus pandemic-induced restrictions caused a slump in economic activities, preliminary official data showed Thursday.
  
  
• The Spring Grand Sumo Tournament will be moved from its traditional Osaka venue to Tokyo to limit the mass travel of wrestlers and staff during the coronavirus pandemic, the Japan Sumo Association said Thursday.
  
  
• Experts from the World Health Organization on Thursday started a full-fledged investigation in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus was first detected in late 2019.
  
  
• AstraZeneca Plc plans to produce over 90 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in Japan, or about 75 percent of what the country is set to receive from the British pharmaceutical firm, the top government spokesman said Thursday.
  
  
• Asia-Pacific nations have been the most successful at containing the coronavirus pandemic, an Australian think tank said Thursday, with New Zealand and Vietnam ranking first and second in their response, with Japan lagging far behind.
  
  
• Japan's ruling and main opposition parties agreed Thursday to scrap a plan to introduce imprisonment for coronavirus patients who refuse to be hospitalized, in response to criticism that it is too excessive.
  
  
• The final artistic swimming qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics has been postponed from March to May due to concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic, the International Swimming Federation said Thursday.
  
  
• International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Thursday his sole focus is on having a safe Olympic Games this summer in Tokyo, and he cannot yet say whether that means stadiums will be at full capacity.

As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 27

• Cinema admissions and box-office revenue in Japan took a historic dive in 2020, due to delays in major releases and people staying home because of the coronavirus outbreak, a film industry body said Wednesday.
  
  
• Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday he expects to decide whether to extend the state of emergency covering Tokyo and other parts of Japan struggling to stem the spread of the coronavirus several days before it is set to end on Feb. 7.
  
  
• Nepal launched on Wednesday a vaccination drive against the new coronavirus that has killed slightly over 2,000 people so far in the Himalayan nation.
  
  
• Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said Tuesday that the holding of the Tokyo Olympics this summer will depend on the progress of vaccinations in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
  
  
• Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga apologized Wednesday in parliament after executives of the ruling coalition were reported to have visited hostess bars in Tokyo's posh Ginza district, defying a state of emergency that urges people to avoid unnecessary outings.
  
  
• A traditional doll maker that unveils new figures featuring prominent newsmakers each year has chosen the governors of Tokyo and Osaka, two cities with high numbers of novel coronavirus cases, this time as a gesture of hope for an end to the pandemic.

• The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday recommended athletes and officials receive coronavirus vaccinations before traveling for the postponed Tokyo Games, emphasizing the need to protect the health and safety of people in Japan.
  
  
• The final artistic swimming qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for the Japanese capital in March, will be postponed in light of travel restrictions under the current state of emergency aimed at combating the coronavirus, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.
  
  
• The number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world has surpassed 100 million, with an accelerated pace of infection, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed Tuesday.

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - January 16~22