Japan asks local gov'ts, businesses to extend New Year holiday

The Japanese government on Friday asked local authorities and business lobbies to give workers more time off during the upcoming New Year holiday, when many people visit relatives or go on vacation, to mitigate crowding and thus reduce the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus.Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the government's coronavirus response, made the request as he held talks with the National Governors' Association as well as the Japan Business Federation, also known as Keidanren, and two other major business lobbies in the country."Households spend more when they have…READ FULL ARTICLE