The Japanese government, under fire for a limited number of coronavirus tests conducted, eased access to such tests on Friday and indicated that a new test supplementing the currently dominant polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test could be approved next week. The Health Ministry said it now wants people experiencing difficulty …
Read More »Turkey charges seven over Ghosn escape from Japan
Prosecutors in Turkey have charged seven people in connection with ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn’s escape from Japan in December. Four pilots, two other flight attendants, and an airline executive are accused of helping him flee to Lebanon via Istanbul. The pilots and executives are charged with “migrant smuggling” and the …
Read More »Japan approves Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir as COVID-19 drug
Japan on Thursday approved Gilead Sciences Inc’s remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19, making it the country’s first officially authorized drug to tackle the coronavirus disease. Japan reached the decision just three days after the U.S. drugmaker filed for fast-track approval for the treatment. “There has so far been no …
Read More »US must remove sanctions if it truly seeks to help Iran in virus fight: Rouhani
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has lashed out at the United States for intensifying its illegal sanctions against the Iranian nation at a time when the country is fighting a deadly coronavirus outbreak, saying Washington should first lift the bans to prove its sincerity in offering help to the Islamic Republic …
Read More »Robots on hand to greet Japanese coronavirus patients in hotels
Coronavirus patients with light symptoms arriving to stay at several Tokyo hotels are likely to get a lift from a pleasant surprise – a robot greeter in the lobby. Japan is now using hotels to house patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus but whose symptoms are too light …
Read More »Strong earthquake rattles Japanese islands
A strong earthquake shook the Ogasawara Islands south of mainland Japan Saturday. The United States Geological Survey said the quake measured 6.6 in magnitude. The quake was centered in the Pacific Ocean, about 885 kilometers (550 miles) south of Shizouka, Japan, to the west of the Ogasawara Islands, which are …
Read More »Japan to declare a state of emergency for about a month
Japan is to declare a state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures as early as Tuesday in a bid to stop the coronavirus, the prime minister said, with the government preparing a stimulus package to soften the economic blow. More than 3,500 people have tested positive for the …
Read More »Google releases location data to show if coronavirus lockdowns working in 131 countries
Alphabet Inc’s Google on Thursday published reports for 131 countries showing whether visits to shops, parks, and workplaces dropped in March when many governments issued stay-at-home orders to rein in the spread of the novel coronavirus. Google’s analysis of location data from billions of users’ phones is the largest public …
Read More »Video: Tokyo 2020 Olympics postponed due to coronavirus pandemic.
A decision was taken by the International Olympic Committee in agreement with the Japanese Government and Tokyo 2020 organizing committee to delay this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games until 2021 due to the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19, which has hampered athletes in their preparations and seen a number of competing …
Read More »Tokyo 2020 Games delay looms as Canada, Australia quit
Major sporting nations Australia and Canada quit the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Monday as organizers faced global pressure to postpone the Games due to the coronavirus crisis for the first time in their 124-year modern history. Putting back the July 24-Aug. 9 event, as is looking inevitable, would be a …
Read More »Japan’s Abe Reiterates Desire to Hold ‘Complete’ Olympic Games
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated his desire to hold the Olympic Games in their “complete form,” and indicated he wasn’t thinking of reducing the scale of the event or holding the games behind closed doors. Speaking in parliament, Abe said that the games must be safe and secure for …
Read More »Latest on coronavirus spreading in China and beyond
-China reported 121 new deaths on Friday, bringing the toll to 1,380. Another 5,090 new cases were confirmed, pushing up the number of infected patients to 63,851. -In Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, daily new cases jumped by 4,823, while the number of new deaths rose by 116. …
Read More »Coronavirus: First Death in Japan; China Cases Jump by 15,000
The Chinese province at the center of the coronavirus outbreak reported a record rise in deaths and thousands of more infections using a broader definition on Thursday, while Japan became the third place outside mainland China to suffer a fatality. The epidemic has given China’s ruling Communist Party one of …
Read More »Nissan files $90M civil suit against Ghosn for fraud damages
Automaker Nissan announced Wednesday it has filed a $90 million civil lawsuit against former executive Carlos Ghosn in Japan, saying it is owed monetary damages from suspected fraud and misconduct while he was chairman. The suit is the latest fight between the Japanese auto giant and its fugitive former executive …
Read More »Japan issues arrest warrants for Ghosn and 3 suspected accomplices
Japanese authorities on Thursday issued arrest warrants for a former U.S. Special Forces soldier and two other men on suspicion of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co boss Carlos Ghosn out of Japan. Warrants were issued for former US Green Beret Michael Taylor and two other men, George-Antoine Zayek and Peter …
Read More »Japan to deploy destroyer and aircraft to the Middle East
Defense Minister issued an order to implement information gathering operations in the Middle East. Japan Self Defense Forces will conduct the operation by deploying MSDF destroyer Takanami and leveraging DAPE P-3C patrol aircraft to ensure the safety of navigation for Japan-affiliated vessels. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Takanami-class destroyer …
Read More »Lebanon bans ex-Nissan boss Ghosn from traveling: judicial sources
A Lebanese prosecutor imposed a travel ban on former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn on Thursday, judicial sources said, after he was questioned over an Interpol warrant issued by Japan seeking his arrest on financial misconduct charges. Ghosn fled Japan to Lebanon, his childhood home, last month as he was awaiting …
Read More »Japan tops, Iraq bottoms 2020 list of world’s most powerful passports
What’s the travel document that opens more doors around the world than any other? It’s a Japanese passport. The Henley Passport Index, which periodically measures the world’s most travel-friendly passports, has released its first report of the new decade. Japan is now top of the leaderboard, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival …
Read More »How did Carlos Ghosn escape Japan?
He was once a titan of the car industry that held hero status in Japan. He then became one of the country’s most well-known criminal suspects. Now he’s an international fugitive. Carlos Ghosn, the multi-millionaire former boss of Nissan, spent months preparing to stand trial on financial misconduct charges. At …
Read More »Ex-Nissan boss flees Japan to Lebanon
Ousted Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn has escaped Japan, where he is facing charges of financial misconduct, and arrived in Lebanon, slamming the Japanese justice system as “rigged.” “I am now in Lebanon and will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination …
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