Japan maintains tight border controls concerning the Omicron variant Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan is maintaining tight border controls concerning the Omicron Covid-19 (coronavirus) variant that is highly infectious. Hence, Kishida said Japan would preserve its policy until late February and then review the situation. Since…
Japan and record $490 billion stimulus package: Debt and right target? Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan announced a record $490 billion (55.7 trillion yen) stimulus package. Hence, this economic policy is aimed at assisting the weak economy, helping smaller companies that are struggling with debts, families with children, and…
Covid-19 numbers in Japan continue to decline Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The Japan coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis reached new highs throughout the Tokyo Olympic timeframe. Numbers then began to decline before the ending of the Paralympics. Since then, new daily coronavirus cases have tailed off. Yesterday, Japan announced no daily deaths from…
Japan LDP leadership battle: Taro Kono playing traditional conservatism Sawako Uchida and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The stepping down of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga means a contested leadership battle within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Henceforth, the factional nature of LDP politics will come into play. Unlike the nationalist angle of Sanae Takaichi…
Pneumonic Plague kills 7 in Madagascar Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The deadly pneumonic plague is known to have killed 7 people, including a child, in Madagascar. At the same time, another 22 patients are being treated for the pneumonic plague. Therefore, with several of the deaths not being known until postmortems…
Suzuki Takayuki wins first Paralympic gold for in Tokyo for Japan: Northern England connection Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Japan failed to win a single gold medal in 2016 at the Paralympics in Rio. Hence, major disappointment occurred in Brazil despite winning other medals. Therefore, the swimmer Takayuki Suzuki must be grinning like…
Tokyo Covid-19 breaks 5,000 daily infections: Inept Suga and Koike Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in Japan is never-ending and the sense of irresponsibility under Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is all-pervading. Equally, since Suga took office, the usual opportunistic Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike seems to follow the coattails of…
Yui Ohashi wins a second Olympic gold for Japan in swimming Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Yui Ohashi won her second swimming gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Unlike her first gold medal, this time she fought back bravely to win her second gold after coming from behind in a pulsating 200-meter…
China wins first gold of the Olympics: Related Covid-19 infections to the games reaches 127 Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The Tokyo Olympics witnessed the first gold medal going to China. However, more coronavirus (Covid-19) cases emerged linked to the Olympics. Therefore, the sporting angle can’t escape the reality of the coronavirus…
Indonesia is the new epicentre of Covid-19 infections in Asia Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Indonesia is reeling from the ongoing international coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis. Indeed, in Asia, Indonesia is now blighted by a higher number of daily infections than India. Thus, Indonesia is the current epicenter of the coronavirus in Asia.…
Israel Supreme Court approves LGBTQ surrogacy rights for same-sex couples Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Israel is multi-ethnic and multi-religious. Judaism is the largest faith in Israel followed by Islam, Christianity, and the Druze. However, other smaller religious communities that suffer persecution in Muslim-dominated nations throughout the Middle East also…
Unemployment increases in Japan while political elites focus on the Olympics Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is wasting too much energy and time on focusing on preserving the Olympics. Thus, endless State of Emergencies to quasi-measures are never-ending in the worst-hit parts of Japan. Therefore,…
Japan finally passes 50 percent of elderly receiving first Covid-19 vaccination Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination program in Japan is finally making progress. Thus Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is hoping that recent progress will continue after a very sluggish start. Yesterday marked 51 percent of people aged 65…
Hunger stalks vast numbers in Madagascar Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Madagascar continues to face an enormous humanitarian crisis where hunger blights untold numbers. According to the World Food Program, over one million people in southern areas are “marching toward” the horrendous result of starvation. This includes hundreds of thousands of…
Japan gives 900 million dollars to COVAX: Only 1 percent fully vaccinated against Covid at home Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Government debt in Japan is enormous. However, Japan keeps on supporting the international community even when people need more assistance internally. Indeed, at a time when people in Japan are dying…
Japan bypasses Emergency: Parts of Hyogo, Osaka, and Miyagi under new measures Sawako Uchida and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times Daily infections of coronavirus (Covid-19) are increasing in parts of Japan once more. However, unlike past declarations of a State of Emergency, new measures have been announced outside this declaration. Therefore, fresh confusion abounds concerning…
Japan in recent Covid-19 upturn again Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The ebb and flow of coronavirus (Covid-19) in Japan is showing another upturn after coming down from highs earlier in the year. At the moment, apart from Sendai, the figures aren’t alarming to the sense of the previous few months. However,…
Japan is mulling Covid-19 vaccination travel passports Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese government is mulling the issuing of coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination passports for international travel. Similarly, the European Union (EU) is touting a similar policy and other nations outside of this trade bloc. However, with vaccinations obviously in their infancy…
Japan news: Covid-19 deaths surpass 7,000 but infections continue to fall Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in Japan began on January 16 last year. Yet deaths remained relatively low in the first nine months. Thus by the middle of September, below 1,500 people had died. However, in recent…
Iran fears the fourth wave of Covid-19 deaths Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Iran fears a fourth coronavirus (Covid-19) wave is on its way after several people died from the highly infectious strain emanating from the United Kingdom. Currently, just below 60,000 people have perished officially from coronavirus…
Tokyo News: President of the Tokyo Olympic Committee fed up with women talking Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Yoshiro Mori, is fed up with women talking too much at meetings. Of course, this moribund thinking of Yoshiro Mori is…
United Nations makes an emergency humanitarian appeal for Madagascar Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The humanitarian crisis in Madagascar is alarming the United Nations (UN). Hence, the UN is launching a critical appeal of $76 million to help this embattled nation. This relates to horrendous suffering caused by the drought and the…
United Kingdom Covid-19 daily infections hit over 60,000 Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in the United Kingdom is at a perilous stage, despite vaccinations being done every day. Thus in the last 24 hours, another 60,000 people were infected. Therefore, the endless strain on the health care system…
Japan and India support a free and open Indo-Pacific region: China isn’t boosting allies Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of China isn’t creating further divisions in Northeast Asia or the Asia Pacific region. However, Japan is constantly upping the ante by endless bi-lateral – and multi-lateral – power plays…
Tokyo News and Twitter killer: Serial killer is given the death penalty in Japan Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times A brutal serial killer in Japan was sentenced to death despite the best attempts of his legal team to excuse the horrendous crimes committed. He goes by the name of the “Twitter…
Tokyo Covid-19 past weekly average reaches a new high: Other prefectures also Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The surreal nature of the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis continues in Japan. Hence, instead of focusing on the coronavirus crisis, the national government is still focused on its internal tourist campaign. However, various parts of Japan…
Japan daily Covid-19 cases hit a new high: Daily commute remains busy Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The new daily coronavirus (Covid-19) figure reached a new high of over 2,380 cases in Japan. Thus, with the influenza season and the winter period approaching, it seems that deaths will start to flow in…
Covid-19 clusters up by 26 percent in Japan Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Coronavirus (Covid-19) clusters in Japan increased by 26 percent in the week ending November 9. Hence, with new daily records of coronavirus being reported last week, the trend is pointing in a negative direction. In total, 130 clusters or…
Tokyo Covid-19 serious cases reach the highest level since May Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in Tokyo is gathering in pace again. Hence, in the last four days over 300 new infections have been reported each day. Worryingly, the flu season will soon begin in Japan and the…
Fast-tracking of Avigan is on the books in Japan Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The fast-tracking of Avigan (favipiravir) in Japan for Coronavirus (Covid-19) appears to be on the books. This relates to the Japanese government seeking to approve Avigan for treatment in November. Avigan is used for influenza but the speed…
One Million Covid-19 deaths and infections remain high Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The international coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis is now responsible for one million confirmed deaths. In truth, the real figure is likely much higher. Therefore, the return to normal is far away because deaths and infections blight countless nations. The one…
Tokyo Covid-19 daily infections come down over the holiday period Sawako Uchida and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times Daily coronavirus (Covid-19) infections in Tokyo have come down in the last three days. Indeed, the 59 daily infections announced today are the lowest since late June. However, caution remains because of the extended holiday period of…
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