- The total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Japan stood at 1,193 in the afternoon of Wednesday 25 March, with a total of 43 people who lost their lives as a result of the disease.
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- On Tuesday 24 March, Japanese Prime Minister Abe and IOC President Bach officially confirmed the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics until summer of 2021. It is the first time ever that the quadrennial sporting event has been postponed.The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
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- As of Monday 23 March, the Japanese government has categorized the Netherlands as Level 3. Level 3 is the second emergency alert from 1 to 4 (4 is in the case of war or terrorism). Level 3 means the Japanese government prohibits Japanese people from travelling out to this area. Consequently, Japanese airlines (JAL/ANA) are going to decrease or cancel most of the flights going to level 3 countries.Level 3 countries; Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Swiss, Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, some countries in North/Central EuropeLevel 2 countries; the UK, Ireland, Czech, Hungary, Poland etc.
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- The Japanese government is making additional efforts toward the drastic bolstering of border security measures against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In response to this, Japanese airlines (JAL, ANA) announced their flights between Japan and Europe are going to be reduced after 29th March, to 3 flights a week between Tokyo and Frankfurt and 3 flights a week between Tokyo and London.The situation may be updated, so for more information please check the websites of the respective airlines. KLM is still operating as before, several flights have been suspended but Tokyo was not among them. For this we request to keep an eye on their website for the latest news as well.
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- Pharma firm Anges, Osaka Univ will begin testing coronavirus vaccine on animals as was stated by the Japanese biopharmaceutical firm on Tuesday 24 March. They said they completed development of a DNA vaccine against the new coronavirus with Osaka University and that they would begin testing it on animals soon.Anges, a drug-discovery company launched out of Osaka University, announced its collaboration with the school on a coronavirus vaccine earlier this month on 5 March. DNA vaccines are produced using an inactivated virus and can manufacture faster than protein based vaccines, according to the company statement. Takara Bio Co is in charge of production of the vaccine and Daicel Corp’s gene-transfer technology is also being utilized, the statement said.In Japan, market leader Takeda Pharmaceutical Co is working on a plasma-derived therapy, while the active ingredient in Fujifilm Holdings Corp’s Avigan anti-flu drug is being tested as a treatment in China.
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- Last weekend, warnings failed to stop Japanese crowds from viewing cherry blossoms. In Tokyo, people packed into traditional blossom hotspots, many not even wearing face masks, to admire the blossoms and celebrate ‘hanami’.
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- Governor Yuriko Koike warned on Monday 23 March that a lockdown of the city was possible if it saw an explosive rise in coronavirus cases, and called on event organizers and residents to exercise restraint to avoid such a drastic step. Warning that the virus could spread from young people to the elderly and others at risk of serious illness, she urged all residents to have a shared sense of crisis.On Wednesday 25 March the governor asked residents to avoid non-essential outings through until April 12. Koike told a news conference that the situation was”severe” after 41 new cases were reported in Tokyo on Wednesday alone. Ten of the cases were connected with a hospital in Taito Ward where a nurse and a patient were confirmed infected on Tuesday, NHK reported.Koike asked residents to cooperate to stem the spread by avoiding unnecessary outings, working at home as much as possible and staying away from restaurants and gatherings. “To avoid an overshoot in infections, the cooperation of Tokyo residents is critical. I ask you to act with a sense of crisis,” Koike said. The city has become the center of Japan’s coronavirus epidemic, with 212 cases, more than any other region after increases this week.
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- About 70 percent of Japanese parents are worried about the impact the nationwide school shutdown due to the coronavirus outbreak is having on their children, a survey by a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization showed recently.Respondents cited children’s mental stress from changes to their daily routine as well insufficient exercise as among their major worries, according to the online poll conducted by Florence, a government-approved child welfare aid group, which surveyed 8,339 parents from March 6 to 9.Prime Minister Abe called on all elementary, junior high and high schools across the country last month, to temporarily close through early April.More than 50 percent of respondents also cited there is a lack of places for kids to stay or play during daytime. The poll quoted one respondent as saying, “I almost hit my kid in a fury after we became stressed out by the school closures,” while another said, “My child’s panic disorder got worse.”
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- Across Japan, hotels have seen a drastic fall in bookings as countries restrict travel to stem the spread of the virus and the Japanese government discourages people from unnecessary travel.A boom in hotel construction and overinvestment in the hospitality sector in recent years had already sparked concerns over the sustainability of the market, even before the spread of the coronavirus.As of Tuesday, shares in real estate investment trusts (REITs) focusing on hotel assets like Invincible Investment Corp, Ichigo Hotel Reit Investment Corp, and Japan Hotel Reit Investment Corp have shed some 60% this year, a deeper dive than a 31% drop in the broader REIT Index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.The pandemic has been particularly devastating for Japanese cities like Osaka that have grown more dependent on tourists, particularly those from China, to support local employment and midsize businesses.Japan’s tourism agency said in 2017 that consumption by international and domestic travelers supported 4.7 million jobs in the country and accounted for 5% of the economy. A recent report by a Japanese corporate research firm said 12 hospitality companies, including a cruise operator, had already gone bankrupt since the outbreak of the virus, with many of these closures focused in western Japan.Industry groups have sought additional government aid to weather the downturn. Japan is considering stimulus measures of at least $137 billion to combat the economic fallout from the coronavirus, sources say, joining global efforts to cushion the blow from the pandemic.
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- Mitsubishi Corporation and Chubu Electric Power have completed the acquisition of the Dutch energy company Eneco. All 44 Dutch municipalities with shares, as well as the relevant authorities and supervisors have all approved the takeover.In addition to the municipalities – which hold all shares – the Dutch ministers of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Belgian Federal Minister of Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development also had to give their approval. In addition, the acquisition has been reviewed and approved by the German and European competition authorities.Earlier this year, the municipality of Rotterdam, the largest shareholder, approved as well. The Japanese pay 4.1 billion euros for the company, which continues to exist as an independent part.
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