WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom has arrived in Beijing to discuss the new coronavirus with Chinese officials.
Tokyo's Nikkei stock index fell sharply on Monday on concerns about the economic impact of the new coronavirus.
A Japanese group of researchers says it has conducted heart surgery using sheets of heart muscle cells made from iPS cells.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20200127200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : WHO director
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_40/
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has arrived in Beijing to discuss the new coronavirus with Chinese officials.
His arrival comes as local health officials announced on Monday that 81 people had died. Confirmed cases have soared above 2,700.
In a tweet on Sunday, the director-general said he wanted to "strengthen our partnership" with China "in providing further protection against the outbreak".
He is joined by the world health body's Western Pacific Regional Director Takeshi Kasai, who arrived in Beijing on Monday afternoon.
Kasai said via Twitter "Just landed in Beijing. Looking forward to joining Doctor Tedros in meeting with Chinese leaders and experts to discuss" the new coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday visited Wuhan, the city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak.
Wearing a facemask, he visited medical facilities there and asked medical staff to do their best, while taking care not to fall ill themselves.
Key words : Japanese expert
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_29/
A Japanese expert says infection control and prevention will be difficult for the new coronavirus linked to a pneumonia outbreak in China.
Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University Professor Mitsuo Kaku says infections may occur when people have no apparent symptoms. He warns that the number of patients may rise in Japan as well.
Kaku says the number of cases in China is continuing to increase despite large-scale traffic restrictions in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, and elsewhere in the country.
He says the Chinese authorities appear to have a growing sense of urgency because carriers of the virus are likely passing it on even during the incubation period.
Kaku says the new strain of coronavirus is different in that respect from the ones that caused the SARS and MERS outbreaks.
It is generally believed that those with SARS or MERS do not infect others when they have no symptoms such as coughing or a runny nose.
Kaku warns that people who have a chronic disease may become seriously ill if they become infected with the new virus.
He urges people never to take the virus lightly because it is one that humans have never experienced before. He says medical experts will have difficulty diagnosing those with only mild symptoms.
Kaku calls for an all-out effort to prevent an outbreak in Japan. He says medical institutions should thoroughly disinfect waiting rooms and toilets.
He advises people not to touch their nose, mouth or eyes to prevent infection.
Key words : could be closing in
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_07/
Researchers could be closing in on the source of the new strain of coronavirus.
China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reports that scientists at the country's Center for Disease Control and Prevention collected 585 samples on January 1 and 12 at the seafood market in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.
Thirty-three of them tested positive for the virus. Thirty-one came from the western zone of the market, where stalls trading wild animals are concentrated.
The news agency reports that the result indicates the virus came from wild animals sold at the market.
Key words : Abe plans to add all they can
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_24/
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his government plans to add infections of the new coronavirus to the list of designated infectious diseases.
Abe told a Lower House committee on Monday that his government has instructed relevant ministers to do all they can to prevent the virus from spreading in Japan.
He said he instructed the ministers to step up preventive measures including screenings at ports and airports and to speedily provide accurate information to the public.
He also noted the need to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals traveling or staying overseas.
Abe said that the designation of the coronavirus will be approved at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Once approved, people infected with the virus will be advised to admit themselves to a medical institution specializing in infectious diseases. Those who don't follow the advice will be forcibly admitted.
They will also be required to take a leave of absence from work for a specified period.
The prime minister said the government will accelerate its effort to make arrangements with the Chinese government so that Japanese nationals who want to leave the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus originated, can do so as soon as possible.
Key words : Nikkei index
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_23/
Nikkei index has been tumbling due to concerns about the impact of the new coronavirus.
The key gauge lost about 500 points, or more than 2 percent at one stage on Monday morning.
Investors are worried about the spread of the new virus that first emerged in China and how it might affect the world economy.
Market players say concern is also rising that the manufacturing output of Japanese companies in China may stagnate.
The yen is higher against the dollar, around 109 yen level. Investors are buying the yen, which is seen as a relatively safe asset, and the stronger currency is also fueling the stock selloff.
Key words : heart surgery
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_37/
A Japanese group of researchers says it has conducted heart surgery using sheets of heart muscle cells made from iPS cells.
Induced pluripotent stem cells are created from reprogrammed human cells and can develop into various kinds of body tissue.
The Osaka University team, led by Professor Yoshiki Sawa, aims to establish a treatment for patients with serious heart disease by restoring the organ's function. The team's surgery involves putting sheets of heart muscle cells derived from iPS in a patient's heart.
At a news conference on Monday, the team announced that they successfully performed the world's first surgery of its kind this month.
They said the patient had been suffering from ischemic cardiomyopathy and it was difficult for the patient to recover with treatments through internal medicine using drugs.
The latest surgery was done as a clinical trial to develop a new treatment method. The group will verify the method's safety and effectiveness over one year and plans to conduct operations on nine other patients over a three-year period.
Professor Sawa said he hopes the technique will save as many patients as possible. He said he hopes the method will be used for patients who have no options with internal medicine and before they need an artificial heart or a heart transplant.
Key words : Ikata place top
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_27/
The operator of the Ikata nuclear power plant in western Japan says it will place top priority on determining what caused a series of serious problems at the plant.
Shikoku Electric Power Company President Keisuke Nagai apologized to Ehime Governor Tokihiro Nakamura for the problems on Monday.
On Saturday, all three reactors at the plant briefly lost power while one of them was being inspected. And earlier this month, a control rod was mistakenly removed from the number 3 reactor. The rod suppresses nuclear fission.
Nakamura told Nagai that local residents' concerns and distrust of Shikoku Electric have risen to unprecedented levels. He said he wants the firm to understand the tough situation it's in.
The governor called on the utility to station the head of its nuclear power department in Ikata Town, and to continue to take thorough measures to make information public.
Nagai agreed, and said he would visit the plant himself to hold discussions with small groups of staff to raise their safety awareness levels.
Also on Monday, Nagai told reporters that Shikoku Electric will postpone its plan to appeal an injunction issued by a high court this month. The court ordered the suspension of the Ikata plant's number 3 reactor.
Nagai said his firm still intends to appeal the injunction but that under the current circumstances, it's not the right time to make the move.
Key words : US navy says
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_30/
The US Navy says it has deployed two drones in Guam to boost its monitoring and surveillance capabilities in the western Pacific.
The Navy made the announcement on Sunday. The drones will operate with P8 reconnaissance planes, that are deployed at US bases in Japan and elsewhere.
2016 was the initial target for the large Triton drones to begin operations in Guam but the plan was stalled after problems during a training flight.
The Triton is an improved version of the US Air Force's Global Hawk, already deployed in Guam.
Its new sensors can reportedly conduct maritime surveillance over a wider range.
Last year, China put its second aircraft carrier into service in the western Pacific.
The US has been on a heightened alert over Beijing's claim to sovereignty of most of the South China Sea and its buildup of military facilities on its artificial islands there.
Key words : rocket
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_19/
Rockets reportedly landed on the compound of the US embassy in Baghdad on Sunday night.
Local media say the attack caused damage to the embassy building. Details are not yet known.
They say several rockets were fired at the capital's heavily-guarded Green Zone.
Iraq's interim Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi released a statement condemning the attack.
He said he has ordered a probe to prevent a recurrence and detain those who are responsible. He added that such attacks could drag Iraq into war.
A series of attacks have targeted US-related facilities in Iraq in apparent retaliation for the US killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad early this month.
A US State Department spokesperson released a statement that did not directly comment on the reported damage to the embassy. It said there have been over 14 attacks by Iran and Iranian-supported militias on US personnel in Iraq since September.
The spokesperson said the security situation remains tense and Iranian-backed armed groups remain a threat, and called on the Iraqi government to fulfill its obligations to support US diplomatic facilities.
Key words : communication ministry plans
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_17/
Japan's communications ministry plans to require key mobile phone base stations to have at least 24 hours of backup power.
The move comes after a series of powerful typhoons caused prolonged disruption to mobile communications last year.
Telecom firms are already required to install backup power sources at facilities that relay mobile phone signals. But the rules do not specify how long the emergency supply should last.
Officials plan to mandate base stations that cover local government offices have at least 24 hours of backup power through generators or batteries.
A non-binding target of 72 hours is planned for areas with prefectural government offices. It will also apply to base stations covering municipal offices in remote islands and mountain regions, where post-disaster recovery takes more time.
Officials say that about 5 percent of the roughly 1,800 local government offices in Japan are in areas with base stations that lack 24-hour backup power.
The communications ministry plans to draft revised rules by the end of June.
Key words : banks across
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_05/
Banks across Japan are buying trucks fitted with ATMs so that customers can withdraw cash in the event of a massive natural disaster.
The vehicles were sent to areas hit by a major earthquake in northern Japan last June, and areas flooded by Typhoon Hagibis last October.
They served as temporary outlets while local branch offices of the banks were closed.
Orix Auto Corporation says demand for the trucks has grown in recent years as Japan experienced a series of natural disasters. The company says nearly 30 financial institutions are considering buying the vehicles this year.
Some banks plan to transport smaller ATMs in minivans, instead of using trucks.
Key words : free self
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_35/
A free self-driving bus service connecting hospitals and schools will soon get started in a small town near Tokyo. This comes as Japan's shrinking and aging population makes it difficult to keep public transport systems running in rural areas.
Officials in the town of Sakai, Ibaraki Prefecture, are working with a subsidiary of mobile-phone carrier SoftBank called SB Drive.
Starting in April, the buses will make round-trip journeys of 5 kilometers around the town. The vehicles can carry up to 11 passengers.
They have no steering wheels or driver's seats, and will be controlled remotely. But there will still be someone on board to keep an eye on the road, and take control remotely in the event of an emergency.
SB Drive is considering offering more routes in the town as well.
A similar self-driving bus service is already running in a village in Akita Prefecture, northern Japan.
Key words : weather forecaster
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200127_38/
Weather forecasters say central Tokyo may be blanketed with snow from Monday evening through Tuesday. They are warning of traffic disruption and icy roads.
Meteorological Agency officials say a low-pressure system and a high-altitude cold air mass are expected to bring snowfall to wide areas around the Tokyo Metropolitan area.
Heavy snow is expected in mountainous parts of the Kanto region, including the capital.
Forecasters say snowfall through Tuesday evening may reach up to 40 centimeters in northern Kanto, 10 centimeters in flatland areas of southern Kanto, and two centimeters in central Tokyo.
The officials also say that if temperatures fall lower than expected, central parts of Tokyo could see a heavier snowfall.
The snow is expected to gradually turn to rain from Tuesday morning in flatland areas, while snowfall may continue in the mountains until late Tuesday.
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