Tag: Japan

Man arrested over deadly arson at Japanese animation studio

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese police on Wednesday formally arrested a man on suspicion of an arson attack on an animation studio in Kyoto last year that killed 36 people, a police spokesman said. The horrifying attack on the well-known Kyoto Animation anime studio was the deadliest violent crime in decades infamously safe Japan, and shocked the country. Shinki Aoba allegedly broke into the building, “scattered gasoline on the ground floor, set fire to it,” […]

Japan lifts coronavirus emergency but urges caution

  by Natsuko FUKUE Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan lifted a nationwide state of emergency over the coronavirus on Monday, gradually reopening the world’s third-largest economy as government officials warned caution was still necessary to prevent another wave. “We had very stringent criteria for lifting the state of emergency. We have judged that we have met this,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a nationally televised news conference. Compared with hard-hit areas in […]

Japan consumer prices log first drop in more than 3 years

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Consumer prices in Japan fell for the first time in more than three years last month, official data showed Friday, dragged down by the coronavirus pandemic and collapsing oil prices. Core prices in April, excluding volatile fresh food, slipped 0.2 percent from a year earlier, reversing a rise of 0.4 percent in March, according to the internal affairs ministry. It was the first drop in 40 months, the ministry said, and […]

Japan newborn gets liver stem cells in world first

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Doctors in Japan have successfully transplanted liver cells derived from embryonic stem cells into a newborn baby, in a world first that could provide new treatment options for infants. The newborn was suffering from urea cycle disorder, where the liver is not capable of breaking down toxic ammonia. But the six-day-old was too small to undergo a liver transplant, generally not considered safe until a child weighs around six kilogrammes (13 […]

Japan slides into recession — with forecasts of worse to come

by Kyoko HASEGAWA Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan dived into its first recession since 2015, according to official data Monday, with the world’s third-largest economy shrinking by 0.9 percent in the first quarter as it wrestles with the fallout from the coronavirus. The drop in gross domestic product followed a 1.9-percent decline in the fourth quarter of 2019 as a tax hike and typhoons hit Japan hard — even before the pandemic […]

Japan slides into recession — with forecasts of worse to come

  by Kyoko HASEGAWA Agence France Presse   TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan dived into its first recession since 2015, according to official data Monday, with the world’s third-largest economy shrinking by 0.9 percent in the first quarter as it wrestles with the fallout from the coronavirus. The drop in gross domestic product followed a 1.9-percent decline in the fourth quarter of 2019 as a tax hike and typhoons hit Japan hard — even before […]

Japan lifts virus emergency for most regions

by Shingo ITO TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s prime minister on Thursday lifted a state of emergency imposed due to the coronavirus for the majority of the country but kept it in place for top cities Tokyo and Osaka. After fears the virus could explode in Japan, new infections have come down sharply, enabling the government to end the measure in 39 out of 47 prefectures before it was due to expire on May 31. […]

Japan seeks to lift virus emergency in most regions

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s government said Thursday it wants to lift a state of emergency declared over the coronavirus in most of the country, though not yet the capital Tokyo and other urban centers. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier this month extended a nationwide state of emergency until the end of May. But with infections sharply down, his government is now hoping to lift the measure early in up to 39 of the country’s […]

Young sumo wrestler dies of coronavirus in Japan

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A 28-year-old sumo wrestler died in Japan on Wednesday after contracting coronavirus and suffering multiple organ failure, becoming the ancient sport’s first COVID-19 fatality, the national association said. Shobushi, a lower-ranking wrestler belonging to the Takadagawa stable in Tokyo, died early Wednesday after battling the disease for more than a month. He developed a fever over April 4-5 but had trouble contacting the local public health office because phone lines were […]

DFA repatriates 125 Filipino crew members of cruise ship docked in Japan

  (Eagle News) – At least 125 Filipino crew members from a cruise ship docked in Japan were repatriated in the country, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). On May 5, Tuesday, the DFA welcomed the 125 Filipino crew members of Costa Atlantica cruise ship docked in Nagasaki, Japan, with permission from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) Sub-Task Group for the Repatriation of OFWs. “Upon arrival […]

Japan set to approve remdesivir for coronavirus treatment

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan plans to authorize Thursday the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients, the government said, with an eye to approving another medication Avigan this month. This would make Japan the second country to approve the drug after US regulators authorized it on Friday for emergency use against severe cases of COVID-19. “If there is no problem we hope to swiftly approve (the drug) today” at the health ministry’s regulatory panel, […]

Japan set to extend virus emergency to May 31

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s government prepared Monday to extend its nationwide state of emergency to the end of May as it braces for a lengthy battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared an initial month-long state of emergency for Tokyo and six other regions on April 7, later expanding it to cover the entire country. It is to expire on Wednesday, but Abe is expected to announce an extension to May […]