Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11 p.m., Monday, March 15
- A Japanese biotechnology startup said Monday it has developed jointly with a university in Okinawa a new method to detect novel coronavirus infection as fast as in two minutes.
- The Japanese government could decide Thursday whether to stick to its plan to end the COVID-19 state of emergency covering the Tokyo metropolitan area this weekend or to further extend the measure, officials said Monday.
- The Tokyo Games organizing committee said Monday the Olympic torch relay's opening ceremony on March 25 will be held without spectators in the northeastern Fukushima Prefecture to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
- Major Japanese travel agency H.I.S. Co. said Monday its sales plunged 80.5 percent to 38.86 billion yen ($356 million) in the November-January quarter from a year earlier due to a sharp decrease in travel demand caused by the continuing novel coronavirus pandemic.
- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will receive his first shot of Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday as part of preparations to visit the United States next month, a government official said.
- Japan may consider issuing certificates to those who have been inoculated against the novel coronavirus if pressed by calls overseas for systems to ensure safe cross-border travel, the minister in charge of vaccination efforts said Monday.
As of 10 p.m., Sunday, March 14
-
Japan has asked nations sending their heads of state or government to this summer's Olympics and Paralympics to limit the number of each of their accompanying staff to 11 people, sources with knowledge of the matter said Saturday.
- Around 70 percent of Japanese companies keen on pursuing overseas operations are rethinking or have reviewed their business strategy amid global risks such as the coronavirus pandemic, a recently released survey showed.
- Upward revisions in earnings forecasts for this fiscal year by listed companies in Japan have been triple the downward ones, as cautious views on the impact of the new coronavirus eased toward the start of vaccinations in February, according to a credit research firm.
- The CEO of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee believes this year's Summer Games can be a symbol of solidarity that will help reduce emotional distance between people who have been struggling with loneliness and anxiety in a "dark and somber time" caused by the novel coronavirus.
Sorry. This article is no longer available.
Sorry, this article was first published more than three months ago and is temporarily unavailable.
Once the upcoming introduction of a paid membership system is fully operational, paid members will have access to all our stories.
Free Membership Provides
Newsletter from Editorial Team and access to archive articles from past three months.
By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Use,
and Privacy Policy.
