The Olympic Games are going to start on July 23 in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. But the increasing cases of the Covid-19 in Tokyo have caused another setback for the Japanese government and the organizers of the Olympic Games. In light of rising Covid-19 cases, a meeting with experts was called in which government officials proposed to impose a state of emergency in Japan from next Monday till August 22. 

The Olympic Games were already postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government of Japan can take more strict decisions because of the Olympic Games. Foreign spectators will not be allowed in the field during the games. 

Earlier, the possibility of allowing the local people to visit and watch the Olympic Games was being explored. But the 6-week state of emergency will also eliminate the possibility of allowing local visitors. The decision regarding the entry of the spectators will be taken on Friday. On Friday, local organizers will meet the International Olympic Committee and other representatives.

No reduction in Covid-19 cases

Currently, Tokyo is operating under slightly less strict protocol. But even reducing the opening hours of bars and restaurants has not stopped the Covid-19 infection. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga may declare a medical emergency on Thursday evening. IOC President Thomas Bach will reach Tokyo on Thursday. But he will be quarantined at the Five Star Hotel in Tokyo for 3 days. 

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also held a meeting with his key ministers regarding the Covid-19 measures. Suga said that he would do everything possible to prevent cases from escalating in Tokyo. He said he would make a decision on Thursday on restoring the state of emergency in Tokyo.

This will be the fourth emergency in Japan since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic. There have been 920 new cases in Tokyo on Wednesday, compared to 714 last week. This is a new record of cases detected in a day after the month of May.

 

Olympic organisers are set to ban all spectators from the Games, the Asahi daily said on Thursday (July 8), as Japan prepared to declare a state of emergency for Tokyo that will run through its hosting of the event to curb a new wave of coronavirus infections. Organisers were set to formally reach the decision on the spectators during five-way talks between key parties to be held on Thursday evening, the newspaper said, citing people involved in the Games.

The move is the latest blow to the troubled Olympics, already delayed by a year because of the pandemic and plagued by a series of setbacks, including massive budget overruns. Medical experts have said for weeks that having no spectators at the Games would be the least risky option amid widespread public concern that the influx of thousands of athletes and officials will fuel a fresh wave of infections.

Organisers have already banned overseas spectators and have for now set a cap on domestic viewers at 50 per cent of capacity, up to 10,000 people. Anyone wanting to support athletes has been told to do so by clapping rather than cheering or singing. Public viewing sites have been cancelled and companies, wary of public opposition, have been hesitant about advertising related to the Games, adding to a subdued mood in the Japanese capital.

The evening talks are to be chaired by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach, who arrives in Tokyo on Thursday. Other participants include the Tokyo and national governments and Paralympic officials. Japan has not experienced the kind of explosive COVID-19 outbreaks seen in many other countries but has had more than 810,000 cases and 14,900 deaths.

A slow vaccine rollout has meant only a quarter of Japan’s population has had at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot. The imposition of a new state of emergency in Tokyo comes after new daily infections in the capital rose to 920 on Wednesday, the highest level since mid-May.

Japan`s economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who heads the government`s coronavirus response, said the new restrictions will begin on July 12 and run through August 22.

The Games are scheduled to run from July 23 to August 8. Tokyo is currently under slightly less strict ‘quasi emergency’ curbs. Under the heightened restrictions, restaurants will be asked to stop serving alcohol, Nishimura said.

Areas neighbouring Tokyo where some Olympic events are also slated to take place, such as Chiba and Kanagawa, are set to remain under ‘quasi emergency’ through August 22.

Underscoring the last-minute nature of the preparations, organisers have presented various spectator scenarios to Olympic sponsors as late as Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the situation. Sponsors were told that in the case of a no-spectator scenario, all sports and opening and closing ceremonies will likely be carried out without fans, including tickets allocated to the sponsors.

The lack of crowds may further strain the Games’ budget, which has already blown out to an estimated $15.4 billion, with ticket revenues of around $815 million expected to take a big hit.

The organising committee did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment. Until this week, officials have insisted they could organise the Games safely with some spectators, but a ruling party setback in a Tokyo assembly election on Sunday, which some allies of Suga attributed to public anger over the Olympics, had forced the change of tack, sources said.

Japan will hold a parliamentary election later this year and the government’s insistence that the Games – postponed last year as the virus spread around the world – should go ahead this year could cost it at the ballot box, they said.

At the age of just 18, Manu Bhaker has won 8 gold medals in World Cup shooting representing the country. Apart from this, Manu is also a gold medalist in Commonwealth Games and Asian Shooting Championships. The young talent is now participating in the Tokyo Olympics. While talking to ABP News, Manu shared her practice schedules and aim to win gold.

Tokyo: Rescue workers slogged through mud and debris Monday (July 5) looking for dozens feared missing after a giant landslide ripped through a Japanese seaside resort town, killing at least three people. National broadcaster NHK reported that 80 people were unaccounted for. Officials were preparing to release their names in hopes of reaching some that might not have been caught in the landslide.

Initially, 147 of those people were unreachable, but that number was revised downward after city officials confirmed some had safely evacuated or were away when the disaster struck, it said. The disaster is an added trial as authorities prepare for the Tokyo Olympics, due to start in less than three weeks, while Japan is still in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

At least 20 were initially described as missing. Adding to the confusion over casualties is that Atami is a vacation city, with many apartments and homes unoccupied for long parts of the year, their listed residents living in other places.

Others may be away visiting relatives or friends or not answering the phone, officials said. They hope to get in touch with more of those unaccounted for on Monday (July 5).

The landslide occurred Saturday (July 3) after several days of heavy rains. Witnesses heard a giant roar as a small stream turned into a torrent, carrying black mud, trees, rocks and debris from buildings.

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Bystanders were heard gasping in horror on cell phone videos taken as it happened. Like many seaside and mountain towns in Japan, Atami is built on steep hillsides, its roads winding through bits of forest and heavy vegetation.

With other parts of Japan expecting heavy rains in what is known as Japan’s rainy season, authorities elsewhere were also surveying hillsides. NHK carried a program Monday about risk factors and warning signs that might precede a landslide.

Three coast guard ships, and six military drones were backing up the hundreds of troops, firefighters and other rescue workers toiling in the rain and fog in search of possible survivors. The mudslide struck Atami’s Izusan neighbourhood, known for its hot springs, a shrine and shopping streets. Atami is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

Naoto Date, an actor who happened to be visiting the Izusan area after a filming session, woke up to sirens in the neighborhood when he was in his house, which is next to his mother’s.

Both of them were safe, but he made sure his mother walked to a nearby community center to evacuate, and he called all his friends and schoolmates and made sure they’d survived.

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I grew up here and my classmates and friends live here. I’m so sad to see my neighborhood where I used to play with my friends is now destroyed, Date told The Associated Press in a video interview from his home in Atami.

So far, Date said his friends all had safely evacuated, and his mother moved to a hotel in a safer location. Date, who lives in Tokyo, said he was staying away from evacuation centers due to concern about the coronavirus.

Even though his house was located in a hazardous area, he said he never imagined it would be hit by a disaster. I used to take it not so seriously and I regret that, he said. He filmed scenes in his neighbourhood with muddy water gushing down and rescuers wading through knee-deep mud.

He also went to the sea where toppled cars were floating with debris from destroyed homes. Many people saw their homes and belongings and everything washed away. They won’t be able to return home, and it must require an unimaginable effort to recover.”

Three people had been found dead as of early Monday (July 5), Fire and Disaster Management Agency and local officials said. Twenty-three people stranded by the mudslide were rescued, including three who were injured.

Shizuoka’s governor, Heita Kawakatsu told a news conference Sunday that land development upstream may have been a factor in the mudslide. Citing a preliminary examination by drone, Kawakatsu said massive amounts of soil that had been heaped up in the construction area had all washed down.

Kawakatsu said he will investigate the land development. Media reports said a planned housing development was abandoned after its operator ran into financial problems.

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Tokyo: Rain hampered Japanese rescuers seeking 20 missing people on Sunday (July 4) after landslides triggered by torrential rains hit the central city of Atami, killing at least two, Kyodo news agency said. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said about 19 people were rescued and about 130 buildings were affected after floods, landslides and cascading mud collapsed and half-submerged houses on Saturday in the seaside city 90 km (60 miles) southwest of Tokyo, according to Kyodo.

Suga asked people in the affected areas to remain on alert and take precautions after he and cabinet ministers met on Sunday (July 4) to discuss the disaster and heavy rain in central and eastern Japan, Kyodo said.

The floods are a reminder of the natural disasters – including earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunami – that plague Japan, where the capital Tokyo is to host the Summer Olympics starting this month.

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Some 700 people from the Shizuoka prefectural police, firefighters and Japan`s military resumed their search and rescue efforts after dawn, but their operations have been interrupted repeatedly due to a risk of ground loosening and warnings of secondary damage from rain, Kyodo said.

In the affected area where intermittent rain continued, about 387 people have been evacuated as of Sunday (July 4) morning, the news agency said. The landslides occurred in Atami, home to hot spring resorts on a steep slope into a bay, around 10:30 a.m. (0130 GMT) on Saturday (July 3). The water, mud, and debris and are believed to have flowed along a river for about 2 km (1.2 miles) to the sea, local media said.

Local TV aired footage of collapsed and half-submerged houses. Social media images showed partially submerged cars and rescue workers wading through waist-high water with a small life raft.

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Tokyo: A powerful mudslide carrying a deluge of black water and debris crashed into rows of houses in a town west of Tokyo following heavy rains on Saturday, leaving at least 19 people missing, officials said.

Dozens of homes may have been buried in Atami, a town known for hot springs, said Shizuoka prefecture spokesman Takamichi Sugiyama.

Public broadcaster NHK gave the number of missing people at 20, but Sugiyama said the prefecture confirmed at least 19, although he said the number may grow.

Torrential rains have slammed parts of Japan starting earlier this week. Experts said dirt had been loosened, increasing landslide risks in a country filled with valleys and mountains.

Sugiyama said it had been raining hard in the area all morning. Self-defense forces will join firefighters and police in the rescue operation, he added. Evacuation warnings were issued for a widespread area.

The landslides appeared to have struck multiple times, about as fast as a car. Footage showed a powerful, black mudslide slide down a mountainside, knocking down and crushing houses and sweeping away cars in its way. Helpless neighbours watched in horror, some recording on their phones.

NHK TV footage showed a part of a bridge had collapsed.

Atami is a quaint seaside resort area in Shizuoka prefecture, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

The area that was hit by the mudslide, Izusan, includes hot springs, residential areas, shopping streets and a famous shrine. 

Japan

White House announced on Monday (June 28) that US President Joe Biden will not attend the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo. However, US first lady Jill Biden will visit Tokyo for the Olympics and may hold a meeting with Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga.

Tokyo: Toshiba Corp shareholders ousted the chairman of the board on Friday, delivering a powerful rebuke to the company after management was found to have colluded with the Japanese government to put pressure on foreign investors.

The unexpected removal of chairman Osamu Nagayama, a veteran of corporate Japan, and another director marked a clear victory for corporate governance, and sent a strong signal about overseas investors` ability to push through change even at one of Japan Inc`s most storied conglomerates.

The board said it would undertake a full review of assets and devise a plan to create growth via dividends and buying back shares. It would also engage with potential investors, it said, comments that could spark tension with the government, which regards Toshiba as a strategic asset.

CEO Satoshi Tsunakawa was appointed as interim chairman, the company said, adding it recognised the seriousness of the rejection of the two directors.

“This result is a sign of a paradigm shift in Japan and will only embolden activist investors whether foreign or domestic,” said Justin Tang, head of Asian research at United First Partners in Singapore.

Tsunakawa retook the helm in April after Toshiba`s previous CEO left, but has said he does not plan to stay for too long. Ousters of board members at Japanese companies, particularly household names such as Toshiba, are extremely rare.

But supporters of Nagayama say his failure to win re-election will only set back Toshiba further, depriving the industrial conglomerate, which has lurched from crisis to crisis since an accounting scandal in 2015, of an experienced leadership.

A breakdown of the vote was not immediately disclosed.

The strategic review will be led by Paul Brough, a chartered account with experience in mergers and acquisitions as a financial adviser.

One Toshiba source, who was not authorised to speak to the media, said foreign investors had voted in greater numbers than in previous shareholder meetings as they saw it as an important test case of corporate governance in Japan.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

How the government responds has yet to seen, but so far Trade Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama has been unapologetic about his ministry`s dealings with Toshiba, saying the policies it implemented were natural ones for the ministry to take.

Toshiba makes defence equipment and nuclear reactors and is strategically important to the government.

“In general the hope is that corporate governance can be improved through discussions with shareholders and at the same time we work to secure the stable development of businesses and technology that are important from a national security standpoint,” he told a regular news conference ahead of the AGM.

On Thursday, Akira Amari, a former economy minister and an influential lawmaker in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, accused activist investors of focusing only on short-term profits and called for better monitoring of such investors to protect economic security.

SHAREHOLDER REVOLT

Shares in Toshiba closed down 0.6%. The stock has increased by around two-thirds in value this year, bolstered by a $20 billion bid for the company by private equity company CVC Capital. Although Toshiba has dismissed that bid, it has promised the strategic review.

Nagayama`s ouster could help activist shareholders push the company to consider take-private offers. Since CVC`s bid, event-driven hedge funds have been actively buying Toshiba shares, making the shareholder roster potentially more favourable for activists, investor sources have said.

Nagayama, who was seen as cautious about such offers, only joined Toshiba`s board in mid-2020 after the alleged pressuring of foreign shareholders to vote in line with management`s board nominees took place.

A former Chugai Pharmaceutical CEO and Sony Group Corp board director, he is well respected and both the electronics giant and former U.S. ambassador to Japan John Roos had expressed their support for him.

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Shareholder advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services Inc and Glass Lewis had recommended shareholders not reappoint him, while 3D Investment Partners, Toshiba`s Singapore-based No. 2 shareholder with a 7.2% stake, had called for his resignation.
3D Investment said in a statement after the result that it hoped the AGM marked the beginning of a new era and it looked forward to constructive, ongoing dialogue with Toshiba`s board and management team.

Toshiba nominated 11 directors at the AGM, including Nagayama. Nobuyuki Kobayashi, a member of the audit committee, was also voted out. Also Read: Income Tax deadline under Vivad se Vishwas scheme extended for 2 months

New Delhi: Japan has imposed strict protocols on Indian athletes and officials who will be traveling to Tokyo for the upcoming 2021 Olympics. The organisers have asked travellers to undergo continuous 7-day COVID-19 tests before their departure from their countries. 
 
“Before you travel: You must be tested every day, for seven days, prior to your departure to Japan,” stated the advisory for the Group 1 countries which includes Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka alongside India. 

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The advisory has asked the athletes to check into the Games Village five days prior to the commencement of the competition. Furthermore, for a period of three days on arrival, the athletes and officials will also be restricted from physically interacting with anyone from the other country team or delegation.  

“At the Games, you will be tested every day as is the case for all athletes and officials”, the orders said. 

The strict decisions have drawn criticism from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and have become a reason of their fury. 

Calling the orders “unfair and discriminatory”, the Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra and Secretary-General Rajeev Mehta, in a joint statement, highlighted the training and nutrition problems Indian athletes will have to go through following these orders. 
 
“Where and when will the Athletes have their Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, etc during these 3 days, as everyone has food in the Games village food hall where all Athletes and officials of other NOCs are present all the time”, they further questioned. 

“If Food Packets are being delivered outside the Rooms of the Athletes, then who will plan their body requirements like Proteins, food preferences, etc and will it not affect the performance of athletes, who will not get their preferred diet, just 5 days before the Olympics” 

The point of training areas was also raised since the practice area sees athletes and officials from other countries as well. 
 
According to PTI, the IOA also questioned the need for such strict regulations given everyone will be double vaccinated and will take off only after an entire week of tests. 
 
“Why make the Athletes suffer at a time when they need to peak, once again highly unfair for Indian Athletes who have worked hard for 5 years to be discriminated against just 5 days before the Olympics,” the statement read. 

Tokyo Olympics organising committee on Monday confirmed that the spectator limit for the Games has been set at 50 percent of venue capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 people.

The decision on the Paralympic Games will be made by July 16. Residents of Japan will be allowed to attend the Games this summer.

“During a meeting held between the five parties earlier today, the IOC, IPC, Tokyo 2020, Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Government of Japan agreed for the spectator limit for the Olympic Games to be set at “50 percent of venue capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 people” at all venues, taking into consideration the government’s restrictions on public events,” the organising committee said in an official statement.

The spectator limit for the Olympic Games will be set at 50% of venue capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 people at all venues.

For more information on what was agreed upon at today’s five-party meeting: https://t.co/On7tfGKidm

— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) June 21, 2021

The IOC and IPC were informed of the policies the Japanese parties decided on and supported the measures. The current competition schedule remains unchanged. In principle, spectators will be admitted to events subject to the above limits.

Students in the schools’ spectator programme and their supervisors will not be considered in these limits and will be treated separately, as they are not spectators.

In the event that a state of emergency or other priority measures aimed at preventing infection are implemented at any time after July 12, restrictions on the number of spectators at the Games, including non-spectator competitions, will be based on the content of the state of emergency or other relevant measures in force at that time.

In the event of any rapid change in infection status and in the capacity of the medical care system, a five-party meeting will be held promptly to consider further measures.

The Japanese parties have formulated guidelines for spectators aimed at ensuring safe and secure environments. These stipulate that masks should be worn in venues at all times; speaking in a loud voice or shouting will be prohibited; congestion should be avoided by means of appropriate announcements; and visitors should leave venues in a staggered manner.

Given the COVID-19 situation, the Japanese parties intend to look into either cancelling or reducing the scale of any live sites and public viewing events to minimise the movement of people, review any other Games-related events, and establish new safe and secure ways of cheering and supporting the athletes.

A framework will be implemented to keep monitoring the status of infections and medical care using expert advice. The equivalent policies governing the Paralympic Games will be decided by July 16, a week before the opening of the Olympic Games.

In order to conduct safe and secure Games for the whole of Japan, there will be strong coordination and cooperation with local governments to ensure the above guidelines are followed.

The situation will be monitored in Japan and abroad, including the status of the different variants of the coronavirus, and all necessary action will be taken promptly. Vaccination of those involved with the Games will continue, and the vaccination status will be further updated.

Tokyo: The ongoing pandemic has changed the way we live and travel. Now, Japan will join the list of countries to issue vaccine passports allowing people to travel abroad from next month. On Thursday, Japan confirmed that Japanese travellers will get a vaccine passport from next month as the governments around the world are trying to find ways to relaunch tourism and business trips.

“Preparing to issue a certificate of vaccination for those who need one… when they visit foreign countries. The certificate will be paper-based,” AFP News Agency reported quoting top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato.

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Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, PM Yoshihide Suga has announced that the virus emergency in the capital city will end on June 20.

What is a vaccine passport?

A vaccine passport is an e-certificate that stores and records jabs and Covid-19 test status. It can be kept in a smartphone app or in other digital formats. Its contents can be flashed at security checkpoints when people travel across borders.

How is Japan expected to roll out vaccine passports?

The certificate will be paper-based rather than digital and will be issued by local governments sometime next month. Corporates have been considering a vaccine document that would help revive business travel even as Japan’s vaccination drive was slow comparatively but picked up pace in recent weeks.

At present over six percent of Japan’s population is fully vaccinated, as per AFP. Japan has closed its border to foreign arrivals, though the rules will be relaxed for the Olympic Games, which open in Tokyo on July 23.

Which countries have allowed vaccine passport?

The European Union is already aiming for a digital vaccine passport this summer in order to kickstart tourism industry, and some EU countries plan to introduce certificates at the national level.

Several countries have already embraced the concept of a vaccine passport for their citizens, including China and Denmark. Similarly, others have welcomed vaccinated travelers from across the globe including Iceland and Greece.

Tokyo: Japan Airlines Co on Monday (June 14) began providing on-site COVID-19 vaccinations for its employees, with the move coming a day after All Nippon Airways Co started its own inoculation drive becoming the first business in Japan to begin workplace vaccinations.

Both airlines started to administer the inoculations at Tokyo`s Haneda airport, with crew on international flights being given priority for the jabs.

Japan`s two top carriers beginning their workplace vaccination campaigns comes well ahead of the government`s planned June 21 start for companies and universities in Japan to begin their own vaccination campaign or double-up as inoculation centers.

Japan`s flag-bearing carrier, JAL, said it plans to vaccinate 36,000 group employees, with the focus initially on those working on international routes, whereas ANA Holdings Inc said 46,500 of its staff are eligible to be vaccinated.

JAL will give priority to around 10,000 of its employees, including pilots and crew, working on international flights.

As the Japanese government seeks to ramp up its vaccination drive, the slow rollout of which has come under heavy criticism for being the slowest among a number of advanced economies, it said that as of 5 pm Friday it had received applications for more than nine million people to be vaccinated at 1,821 companies or universities.

Toyota Motor, SoftBank Group and Rakuten having already committed to vaccines being administered at their premises.

Among others, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company is also on board, as is electronics maker Fujitsu.

Sony Group, meanwhile, has said it is planning to have its own corporate doctors vaccinate employees at its offices.

According to Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, the new inoculation campaign is aimed at speeding up the country`s vaccination rollout and helping to reduce the burden on local municipalities.

“The expansion in the number of vaccination sites is meant to reduce the burden on local communities and accelerate the pace of inoculation. The two-dose vaccine developed by US biotech firm Moderna Inc will be used,” Kato told a press briefing on the matter recently.

Kato said that the workplaces and universities will be in charge of deciding who gets vaccinated, although recommended that the elderly and those with underlying health conditions be given priority.

The companies and universities, Kato said, will also be in charge of sourcing their own medical personnel to administer the jabs amid the nation`s dire lack of medical personnel qualified to give the vaccinations, which has contributed to the country`s sluggish rollout.

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New York: A joint study conducted by a team of researchers has claimed that China, Japan, the Philippines and Thailand may turn into new “hotspots” favourable for bats that carry coronaviruses.

According to the study, conditions in these places could become ripe for the disease to jump from bats to humans. The study has been conducted by a team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, Polytechnic University of Milan and Massey University of New Zealand.

The findings of the study have been published in the journal Nature Food. The study showed land-use change related to forest fragmentation, agricultural expansion and concentrated livestock production are creating favourable ‘hot spots’ globally for bats carrying coronavirus.

According to the study, most of the current hot spots are clustered in China, where a growing demand for meat products has driven the expansion of large-scale, industrial livestock farming.

Further, parts of Japan, the north Philippines and China south of Shanghai are also at risk of becoming hot spots with further forest fragmentation, while parts of Indochina and Thailand may transition into hot spots with increases in livestock production, the study said.

“Land use changes can have an important impact on human health, both because we are modifying the environment, but also because they can increase our exposure to zoonotic disease,” Paolo D`Odorico, Professor of environmental science, policy and management at UC Berkeley, was quoted as saying by media reports.

While the exact origins of the SARS-CoV-2, virus that caused Covid-19, remain unclear, the disease likely emerged when a virus that infects horseshoe bats was able to jump to humans – either directly through wildlife-to-human contact, or indirectly by first infecting an intermediate animal host, such as the pangolin.

Horseshoe bats are known to carry a variety of coronaviruses, including strains that are genetically similar to ones that cause Covid-19 and SARS.

“While we are unable to directly trace the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from wildlife to humans, we do know that the type of land-use change that brings humans into the picture is typically associated with the presence of these bats who are known to carry the virus,” D`Odorico said.

The study used remote sensing to analyse land-use patterns throughout the horseshoe bat`s range, which extends from Western Europe through Southeast Asia.

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Japan started vaccinating Tokyo Games-bound athletes for COVID-19 on Tuesday (June 1), the Japanese Olympic Committee said.

The vaccination of healthy athletes comes as only 2-3 per cent of the general population in Japan has been fully vaccinated. Japanese Olympic Committee officials said about 200 athletes were vaccinated at a training center on the first day of the rollout. Japanese Olympic Committee officials did not name any of the athletes. They also restricted coverage of the event, possibly fearing a public backlash.

Japanese Olympic Committee official Mitsugi Ogata said the vaccination of young athletes would not affect distribution to the general population, including the elderly and medical workers.

“Vaccination operations for athletes are conducted in a different organization from those for the nation,” Ogata said.

The Tokyo Olympics are to open on July 23. The International Olympic Committee said being vaccinated was not required for participating in the Games. However, the IOC has encouraged all athletes to be vaccinated.

President Thomas Bach said he believed more than 80 percent of the residents of the Olympic Village in Tokyo will be vaccinated.

Olympic officials said having athletes vaccinated will make the Japanese public feel increased safety in regard to holding the Olympics.

Opinion polls in Japan showed 50-80 percent of the Japanese public — depending how the question is phrased — as opposing holding the Olympics in July.

Washington: The United States government has extended its trust over Japan`s “commitment” to prioritise public health ahead of Tokyo Olympics this summer on July 23 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Kyodo News, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday (May 26) said that the US trusts Japan`s commitment to prioritize public health as it prepares to host the Tokyo Olympics amid coronavirus pandemic.

The White House remarks came after a major Japanese daily newspaper called for the cancelation of the Olympics in an editorial, adding to the controversy over Japan`s plan to push ahead with the global sporting event despite being still unable to bring the pandemic under control.

“The government of Japan has stressed that public health remains a central priority. And so that is the commitment that they made to us and to other countries where they will have athletes attending the Olympics in just a few weeks,” Jean-Pierre, deputy press secretary, told a press conference.

“We trust what the government of Japan has stated to us,” she added, reported the news agency.

Tokyo set to host the Olympics ahead on July 23. The country coronavirus tally witnessing a surge in cases due to that the government expected to extend the state of emergency going on in many cities including Tokyo and Osaka.

Japan has issued a state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto one month ago.

It`s since been expanded to cover ten prefectures. Most will expire at the end of the month, but not if prefectural leaders get their way, reported NHK World.

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Beijing: Chinese Foreign Ministry lashed out against Japanese Defence Chief Nobuo Kishi saying Nansei Islands – southernmost of the Japanese mainland close to Taiwan is a source of concern and said that Beijing will safeguard its territory and Tokyo should not stretch too far.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Friday (May 21) said that Japan should “stop misinformation and slander” against China, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).

“Japan`s irresponsible remarks are stoking military competition, stirring up regional tensions, provoking military confrontations and meddling in Taiwan issues,” Zhao said.

He warned against interference in Taiwan, a self-ruled island Beijing vows to bring back into its fold, by force if necessary.

“Japan has always had a small group of forces obsessed with the old dream of militarism and they are trying to get their hands on Taiwan,” Zhao said.

“We have to tell the Japanese side that our will to safeguard its security and territorial integrity is as firm as a rock and that Japan should not stretch its hands too far.”Earlier, in an interview with Nikkei newspaper on Wednesday (May 19), Japanese Defence Minister Kishi said the country could take a “radically different approach” to counter Beijing`s growing military strength, reported SCMP.

Japan`s Defence Chief said the country might scrap its 1 per cent GDP cap on military spending to counter China`s armed forces.

Kishi said the military balance between Japan and China had “leaned heavily toward China in recent years, and the gap has been growing by the year”.

“The security environment surrounding Japan is changing rapidly, with heightened uncertainty. We will properly allocate the funding we need to protect our nation,” he said.

Laura Zhou writing in SCMP said that Kishi said the Nansei Islands, a chain known as the Ryukus in Japan and that stretches from the southernmost of the Japanese mainland to Taiwan, were a major area of concern.

Relations between China and Japan, already complicated by their wartime history and territorial disputes over a series of islets in the East China Sea, were further strained last month when Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden issued a joint statement stressing the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait.

It was the first mention of the self-ruled island in a joint statement since 1969.

In the statement, Japan also promised to bolster its defences “to further strengthen the alliance and regional security”.Japan has spent heavily on personnel for its self-defence forces, US military bases in the country and development of its ballistic missile defence and space development, but its pacifist constitution prohibits its military from using force to settle international disputes, wrote Laura.

Liu Jiangyong, a Japanese affairs expert at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said Kishi`s remark could be “a trial balloon” in a push for constitutional reform but an increase in military spending to 4 or 5 per cent was unlikely soon, reported SCMP.

“But what is worth noting is that the so-called defence budget is not only for defending Japan but an increasing part of it would be invested in the US-led global military strategy so that the Japanese military, even in the case of no attack, could join the US and fight overseas, which also raises its so-called defence input,” Liu said.

Japan has been active in pushing forward cooperation under the Quad alliance with the US, Australia and India, which Beijing sees as part of efforts to counter China`s influence in the region. Kishi said that he was in favour of a “Quad defence ministers meeting”. 
 

 

Tokyo: The Japanese government on Friday (May 21) gave the green signal for two more COVID-19 vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Moderna pharmaceutical giants to be added to the nation`s vaccine portfolio, Kyodo news reported.

The experts have met on Thursday (May 20) to assess data from Japan`s own clinical trial in addition to those from overseas.

They confirmed the efficacy of the two vaccines and today, the health minister could officially authorise them, according to NHK World.

People aged 18 or older are likely be eligible. But officials may later recommend a minimum age limit for the AstraZeneca vaccine because of the risk of rare blood clots.

The EU drugs regulator published data that shows young people are more likely to develop them.

The Moderna vaccine is expected to be administered at large-scale vaccination sites, which are likely to be open in Tokyo and Osaka next Monday (May 24).

But the AstraZeneca vaccine will not be used in public inoculation programs for the time being because of rare blood clots.

The health ministry plans to carefully decide what age groups can be given the AstraZeneca vaccine.

At present, only the Pfizer vaccine is in use as Japan`s law requires clinical trials in the country.

Inoculations started in February for frontline workers before broadening to include senior citizens in April.

Less than 5 per cent of Japan`s population have received at least one dose, a far lower proportion than other G7 countries, it further reported.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, whose public support has fallen amid criticism over his pandemic response, has vowed to ramp up to 1 million shots a day and finish inoculating the elderly by the end of July, Xinhua reported.

In Japan, more than 5,700 new infections were reported on Thursday, as well as over 100 deaths.

Tokyo: A Japanese journalist recently freed from a Myanmar jail urged his government on Friday to take “concrete action” against the military regime there, including reviewing its development aid.

Myanmar authorities arrested Yuki Kitazumi, a freelance reporter who was covering the unrest that engulfed the country after a military takeover on Feb. 1, and charged him with spreading false information.

Kitazumi, who lived in Myanmar for several years and used to run a media company in the main city of Yangon, was freed after negotiations led by the Japanese ambassador. The journalist returned to Japan last week.

“I was freed thanks to the backing of the Japanese government but it`s not like that has resolved the problem,” Kitazumi told a news conference in Tokyo, referring to Myanmar`s turmoil.

Myanmar`s security forces have killed more than 800 people since a wave of protests broke out after the military overthrew an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group says.

The group says more than 4,000 people have been detained, including 20 who have been sentenced to death.

Kitazumi said Japan enjoyed strong influence over Myanmar owing to its historic ties and appealed to his government to take “concrete action” to help resolve the confrontation between the pro-democracy movement and the generals.

“I`d like Japan to use the strength it used to free me to resolve the problem in Myanmar,” he said.

Japan has been a big investor and source of technical help and development aid for Myanmar`s semi-civilian governments in the decade of political reform that followed the end of the last era of military rule in 2011.

Asked about comments by Japan`s foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, that Tokyo could cut all development aid if the situation did not improve,

Kitazumi said that cutting some projects would send a “strong message” and that a review of Japan`s engagement was necessary.

Kitazumi`s media company used to produce video content, from news to movie trailers, and trained journalists with an emphasis on free speech.

Before his work in Yangon, Kitazumi was a journalist with Japan`s largest business daily, the Nikkei.

Tokyo: Japan`s health ministry is set to authorize the use of Moderna`s coronavirus vaccine later this week. Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is the only one being used as Japan inoculates the elderly and others.

Applications for the Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines have been filed with the ministry, following Pfizer`s, as reported by NHK World Japan.

The ministry will convene a meeting of experts on Thursday (May 20) to look into both vaccines.

The ministry will likely give the green light to Moderna as early as Friday (May 21), after gaining approval from the experts.

The Moderna vaccine is then expected to be administered at mass vaccination sites due to open on Monday (May 24) next week.

As for the AstraZeneca vaccine, ministry officials will carefully weigh its alleged risk of forming blood clots against the efficacy, with input from the experts in mind.

Under a contract with Japan`s government, AstraZeneca will supply enough doses for 60 million people.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has allowed the storage of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus in normal fridge conditions, at 35 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, for up to 31 days.

According to initial demands from manufacturers, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures between -80 to -60 degrees Celsius (-112 to -76 degrees Fahrenheit).

EMA`s human medicines committee (CHMP) has recommended a change to the approved storage conditions, EMA said on Monday to Sputnik.

The accessibility of vaccines will help in stopping the spread in such a massive number.

The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines appear to protect against COVID variants B.1.617 and B.1.618 first identified in India, researchers have reported in a new pre-print paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, CNN reported.

Based on lab experiments involving cell cultures, the B.1.617 and B.1.618 variants seem to be partially resistant to the antibodies elicited by vaccination, according to the pre-print paper posted to the online server biorxiv.org on Sunday (May 16).

“Thus, there is a good reason to believe that vaccinated individuals will remain protected against the B.1.617 and B.1.618 variants,” the researchers from New York University wrote in their paper.

But more research is needed to determine just how effective the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are against those variants in the real world.

Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the coronavirus variant first found in India as a “variant of global concern”.

It said studies show the B.1.617 mutation spreads more easily than other variants and requires further study, CNN reported.

The new research involved serum samples collected from eight people who recovered from Covid-19, six people fully vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and three people fully vaccinated with Moderna`s vaccine.

The researchers analyzed in lab experiments how the serum samples neutralized lentiviruses — a type of retrovirus — equipped with the same mutations as the B.1.617 and B.1.618 coronavirus variants.
 

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Tokyo: After Japanese police chief Mitsuhiro Matsumoto officially identified China as responsible for a cyberattack on the country, its National Police Agency has been overwhelmed with inquiries from foreign governments and media organisations regarding the claim, causing a stir among the global cybersecurity community.

Nikkei Asia reports that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had filed a case on April 20 against a Chinese systems engineer, who is also a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for allegedly taking part in cyberattacks targeting the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and 200 other Japanese companies and research institutions in 2016 and 2017.

The suspect used a fake ID to register a web server in the country for cyberattacks against JAXA, which suggested that China`s People`s Liberation Army (PLA) was also involved in the intrusion, according to Tokyo police.

The suspect has now fled Japan. The police first discovered a suspicious server and then began monitoring it, eventually detecting a cyberattack against JAXA.

It found that the attacker was trying to exploit a vulnerability in the security software used by the space agency and advised companies facing similar attacks to take defensive measures.

“It`s highly likely that the PLA`s Unit 61419 — a strategic support unit operating from the Chinese city of Qingdao in Shandong Province — was involved in the cyber espionage,” said Matsumoto, commissioner-general of the police agency, on April 23.

Beijing on the other hand has vehemently denied the allegations made by Japan, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin saying: “China is firmly opposed to any country or institution [using allegations of] cyberattacks to throw mud at China.”

In response to Wang`s remarks, Matsumoto said that his agency had the evidence, including testimonies of the suspects and other parties involved. These comments suggest a war of nerves between China and Tokyo, reported Nikkei Asia.

In 2015, the Japan Pension Service was hit by a cyberattack that led to a massive information breach, with more than 1 million names and pension identification numbers leaked, some accompanied by birthdates and addresses.

The ensuing probe provided evidence that showed servers in China were used.

However, there was no conclusive proof that Beijing was involved, so Tokyo stopped short of claiming the attack was state-sponsored.

This time, however, better forensics by Tokyo police led the Japanese government to directly blame Beijing.

Yuichi Sakaguchi for Nikkei Asia writes that even in the presence of incorruptible evidence, there is little chance of bringing to justice culpable foreign nationals operating overseas.

However, the process of cyber attribution, which refers to tracking and identifying sources of cyberattacks, can be used to `name and shame` in the hope of deterring future cyberattacks or lay the groundwork for sanctions against alleged perpetrators.

The revelation came at a time when tensions between China and Japan have escalated amid increased activity by Beijing in the disputed East China Sea.

Earlier this year, Beijing had implemented a new law that allows the country`s quasi-military force to use weapons against foreign ships that China sees as illegally entering its waters.

Last month, Japan said China`s coastguard had expanded its presence in the contested waters by entering twice a month and as frequently as twice a week near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, known by the Chinese as Diaoyu.

Last month, Microsoft, the US company, said a sophisticated group of hackers linked to China has hacked into its popular email service that allowed them to gain access to computers.

The company had said that four vulnerabilities in its software allowed hackers to access servers for Microsoft Exchange, “which enabled access to email accounts, and allowed installation of additional malware to facilitate long-term access to victim environments,” reported CNN.

Last year, in a major breach of security, Australia was hit by a major cyberattack by a “state-based actor”.

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Tokyo: With just 10 weeks remaining for the start of the Olympics on 23 July 2021, there has been pressure mounting on the Olympics committee to postpone or reschedule the sporting event due to the concerns surrounding Covid-19. The Tokyo Olympics were supposed to take place in the Japanese summer of 2020, but they were canceled as last year saw a surge in the cases of Covid-19.

CEO of the E-Commerce company, Rakuten Hiroshi Mikitani said that hosting Olympics this year is a “suicide mission” and he is trying to convince the government against it. The Olympics organization committee is facing heat from common Japanese people and also some Japanese celebrities. 

“I have been very straightforward and the fact that we are so late for the vaccination is dangerous to host a big international event,” Mikitani said CNN in an interview. 

“So, the risk is too big and… I’m against having the Tokyo Olympics this year,” he added. When asked if it is possible to cancel the event, Mikitani said ‘Everything is possible.”

“I have talked privately with people and many are not in favor of hosting Tokyo Olympics this year. To be honest, I call it a suicide mission and we should stop. We try to convince them (the Japanese government) but not successful so far,” he concluded. 

Naomi Osaka also ‘not sure’ about playing in Olympics

“I would feel, of course, definitely a bit sad, but at the end of the day, it’s an honour to play in the Olympics in the first place and if that’s what keeps people healthy, then I’m up for [playing behind closed doors],” Osaka said to BBC.

The four-time grand slam winner said, “I’m an athlete, and of course my immediate thought is that I want to play in the Olympics,” she said.

“But as a human, I would say we’re in a pandemic, and if people aren’t healthy, and if they’re not feeling safe, then it’s definitely a really big cause for concern.”

The Covid-19 cases in Japan are on a record high and so far, only 1% of the total Japanese population has been vaccinated. So, it is a risk to hold the Olympics in the middle of a pandemic. 

Tokyo: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck off Japan`s Fukushima Prefecture on Friday (May 14), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The temblor occurred at around 8:58 a.m. local time, with its epicenter at a latitude of 37.7 degrees north and a longitude of 141.8 degrees east, and at depth of 40 km.

The quake logged 4 in some parts of Fukushima Prefecture on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7. So far no tsunami warning has been issued.

Also, another earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck off the northwest coast of Indonesia`s Sumatra island on Friday (May 14), the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said.

The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), GFZ said.

Indonesia`s weather and geophysics agency, BMKG, put the quake at 7.2 magnitudes and at a depth of 19 km but said it had no potential to trigger a tsunami wave.

On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1 magnitude quake off the coast of northwest Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and nine other countries.

A Twitter user, Siska Sasmita, said Friday`s quake was felt strongly in Padang city on Sumatra`s west coast.

“We ran outside the house because the quake was felt for a pretty long time,” said Goris Tukan, a resident of Nias island, off Sumatra. He said no damage was seen in his neighbourhood.

Disaster mitigation agency official Filifo Daili said the quake was felt for 20 seconds and authorities were still collecting information about its impact.

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Washington: Several experts have opined that China`s increasingly aggressive behaviour and US support during India’s COVID-19 crisis will make the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) – a security alliance between India, the US, Japan and Australia – more robust. 

Terry Wu for The Epoch Times writes that the growing threat from China would bind the geopolitical factor strongly in the long run and political factors drive the long-term regional outlook.

“Our (US-India) relationship is still very strong. If anything, the US support to India has made the partnership even stronger,” said Major Randy Ready at the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), adding that the COVID-19 outbreak had no impact on security operations between the two nations.

Srikanth Kondapalli, professor in Chinese studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said that the second wave of the crisis will play a part in strengthening the Quad cooperation by highlighting the importance of the vaccine partnership that is the centrepiece of the dialogue, The Epoch Times reported.

“The future for the Quad is pretty bright,” said Rahul Mishra, a senior lecturer at the University of Malaya, adding that the four countries are keen in strengthening and institutionalising the initiative, while European powers are also showing interest.”

The Quad should be about how to maintain liberal democracy and the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Tosh Minohara, professor of US-Japan Relations and Diplomatic History at Kobe University.

The professor further said that the US will defend Taiwan as America`s world leadership is at stake and expressed hope of seeing a new US administration in 2025 that is more aggressive on China.

“The Indo-Pacific is the most consequential region for America`s future. It hosts our greatest security challenge, and it remains the priority theatre for the United States,” said commander Admiral John C Aquilino at the new USINDOPACOM.”

Although everybody calls it COVID-19, everybody knows that the virus originated from Wuhan,” said Kondapalli.

Under the former President Donald Trump`s administration, ties between Washington and Beijing had deteriorated over issues such as human rights violations in Xinjiang, encroachment on the special status of Hong Kong, accusations of unfair trade practices by Beijing, lack of transparency concerning the pandemic and China`s military aggression around the world.

China`s actions in the East and South China Seas, its treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, overhauling of the Hong Kong political system are some of the factors that have infuriated many nations. 

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London: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi have agreed to step up cooperation to deal with China and promised to further strengthen their alliance to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The talks between the two leaders took place on Monday (May 3) in London before the G7 foreign ministers` meeting, Kyodo News reported.

Blinken and Motegi said that both the countries will oppose any unilateral attempts by China to change the status quo by force in the East and South China seas.”Motegi and Blinken also discussed China.

They agreed to oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China and South China seas.

They also shared concerns about the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. They also agreed on the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” said the NHK World in its report, citing the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The two leaders also discussed Myanmar and North Korea. Surprisingly, in the US version of the meeting`s readout, there was no mention of China in the State Department press release.

Last Friday (April 30), top officers from Japan`s Self-Defence Forces and the US military agreed to stand firm against any attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea.

Koji Yamazaki, the chief of Japan`s Self-Defense Forces` Joint Staff, who had met in Hawaii, discussed the situation in the Indo-Pacific region amid China`s growing military activity.

These recent bilateral talks come in the backdrop of the first in-person meeting between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Affirming his “ironclad” support for the US-Japanese alliance, President Biden last month had said that both the countries are committed to working together to take on the challenges posed by China to ensure the future of free and open Indo-Pacific.

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