The International Olympic Committee says it will begin discussions on how the Tokyo Games should be handled, including their possible postponement during the global coronavirus pandemic.
The Japanese government has decided to ask all travelers arriving from the United States to self-quarantine for two weeks at designated locations.
The Bank of Japan has taken a step to deal with investor worries about a possible global shortage of US dollars, due to market jitters over the coronavirus.
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Key words : olympic committee should be handle
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_08/
The International Olympic Committee says it will begin discussions on how the Tokyo Games should be handled, including their possible postponement during the global coronavirus pandemic.
The IOC held an emergency board meeting via telephone on Sunday. It says it will finalize the discussions within the next four weeks.
The committee said it will start consultations with the organizing committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan government and the Japanese government.
But the IOC emphasized that a cancellation of the Games would not solve any problem or help anybody, and therefore it is not on their agenda.
The IOC also said people in Japan are warmly welcoming the Olympic flame. It added this could strengthen their confidence in their Japanese hosts that they could organize the Games while safeguarding the health of everyone involved.
As the coronavirus spreads worldwide, a number of qualifiers for the Games have been suspended or cancelled.
Athletes, sports organizations and Olympic committees in some countries are urging that the Games be postponed.
Last Tuesday, the IOC said in a statement that "with four months to go before the Games, there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage."
But just five days later, after facing a wave of criticism, the committee was prompted to start examining the possibility of a postponement.
Key words : Abe Mori
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_20/
Japan's prime minister has said postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics may have to be considered if it is difficult to hold the Games in a complete form.
Shinzo Abe made the remark at a Diet committee session on Monday. He was commenting on the decision of the International Olympic Committee to start discussing what steps to take regarding the Games amid the coronavirus outbreak, including possible postponement.
The IOC says it plans to consult with the Tokyo organizing committee and others concerned and will finalize the discussions within four weeks.
Abe revealed that he talked with the head of the organizing committee, Yoshiro Mori, on Sunday night. He said Mori relayed his view to IOC President Thomas Bach.
Abe said the IOC will make a decision in line with his view that the Games should be held in a "complete form" and if that is difficult, the event may have to be postponed, giving top priority to the athletes.
The prime minister said he will have further discussions with the IOC and believes the leaders of the Group of 7 nations, including US President Donald Trump, will support his decision.
Abe added that the IOC will make a final decision on the issue and that they share the opinion that cancellation is not an option.
Abe said he thinks it is better to make a decision at an early date, and said he will work together with the IOC and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Key words : expert says
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_29/
An expert says the bill for delaying the Tokyo Olympics by one year could hit 5.8 billion dollars.
Katsuhiro Miyamoto is professor emeritus at Kansai University. He's an expert in sports economics.
Miyamoto says maintaining and repairing facilities like stadiums and preparing for the Games all over again will require 3.8 billion dollars.
He says hosting the Games has benefits like formation of international business hubs, promotion of small and medium-sized businesses, and expansion of the robotics industry. Miyamoto says that without them he sees an additional economic loss of 2 billion dollars.
Miyamoto says reduced tourism and lower consumer spending mean the economy will likely take an even bigger hit than he projects.
Key words : US newspaper
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_34/
A US newspaper has reported that 70 percent of American athletes are in favor of postponing the Tokyo Olympics.
USA Today on Sunday reported results of the survey that was conducted by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee and covered 125 athletes.
Seventy percent supported delaying the games, and 23 percent said it would depend on the circumstances.
Asked whether they support the games going ahead as scheduled, 41 percent said they don't.
Thirty-four percent replied that it's complicated and they need more information.
The athletes were also asked when they are comfortable with the International Olympic Committee making a decision to hold, postpone or cancel the Games. Thirty-four percent said as soon as the IOC has enough information.
Twenty-three percent said a decision should be made no later than April 15, while 18 percent said they wanted a decision now.
Key words : Canada Olympic and
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_24/
Canada's Olympic and Paralympic committees say they will not send Canadian teams to the Tokyo Games if the events are held this year.
The two committees announced their decision on Sunday amid the new coronavirus outbreak.
They called on the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the World Health Organization to postpone the games for one year.
The Canadian committees said, "Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community."
Meanwhile, the Australian Olympic Committee also issued a statement saying, "Australian athletes should prepare for a Tokyo Olympic Games in the northern summer of 2021."
The statement comes after the IOC said it will start discussions on how the Tokyo Games should be handled, including their possible postponement.
The Australian committee said, "It's clear the Games can't be held in July. Our athletes have been magnificent in their positive attitude to training and preparing, but the stress and uncertainty has been extremely challenging for them."
Key words : government decided to ask
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_25/
The Japanese government has decided to ask all travelers arriving from the United States to self-quarantine for two weeks at designated locations.
The government says the measure will be in place from March 26 to the end of April.
Travelers from 40 countries, including China, South Korea and most European nations, are already being asked to self-quarantine upon arrival in Japan.
Key words : metropolitan government bed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_32/
Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials plan to secure up to 4,000 hospital beds to accept new coronavirus patients in case of a sudden surge in infections.
Officials on Monday held a meeting of a new coronavirus taskforce and disclosed future policies to respond to the outbreak.
Under the policies, officials are to ask for cooperation from medical facilities in the private sector to maintain the capital's medical system.
There are currently 118 hospital beds for patients of designated infectious diseases.
Officials plan to increase the number in stages to up to 700 beds to accept patients in severe conditions, and secure 3,300 for those with moderate symptoms.
They are also considering asking people with mild symptoms to stay in sickbeds for ordinary diseases, their homes or other accommodations.
Key words : Japanese researcher
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_30/
Japanese researchers plan to begin clinical trials of a drug designed to treat Ebola on patients suffering pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus.
The head of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Norio Omagari announced the plan to reporters on Monday.
The center will begin clinical trials before the end of the month at earliest. They will be conducted jointly with medical institutions in the United States, South Korea and Singapore, involving about 440 patients.
The researchers will use remdesivir, an antiviral drug for treatment of Ebola, which is being developed by a US company.
Patients who have developed pneumonia or are in need of oxygen support will randomly be administered either one dose of the drug a day, or a placebo which has no therapeutic effect.
Omagari says he wants to proceed with verification of the effectiveness of remdesivir as soon as possible to establish a standard treatment for the coronavirus.
There is no effective drug treatment for the coronavirus available at present. Clinical trials are under way to verify the effectiveness or safety of applying drugs intended to treat other conditions such as HIV, influenza and asthma on patients infected with the coronavirus.
Key words : bank of Japan investor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_28/
The Bank of Japan has taken a step to deal with investor worries about a possible global shortage of US dollars, due to market jitters over the coronavirus. BOJ officials say they have begun supplying the world's key currency to the financial markets on a daily basis, instead of weekly.
The BOJ lent 34.8 billion dollars with 7-day maturity to financial institutions on Monday.
This is a part of coordinated action with five other central banks including the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank. The BOJ says the operation will continue every day at least until the end of April.
Recent volatility in global financial markets has prompted investors to sell their stocks, government bonds and other securities in order to acquire US dollars.
In another liquidity-boosting measure, the BOJ says it's buying Japanese government bonds worth 800 billion yen, or about 7.3 billion dollars.
Key words : analyst predicting
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_17/
Analysts are predicting a plunge in business confidence due to the coronavirus pandemic when the Bank of Japan releases its next Tankan survey on April 1st.
The quarterly survey covers about 10,000 businesses and measures how executives feel about the economy.
Analysts at 10 private-sector think tanks all say the index for large manufacturers will fall to between minus 7 to minus 14. That would be the first negative reading since March 2013. A minus number indicates pessimism about the economy.
Their forecasts for large non-manufacturers range more widely, from plus 12 to minus 6. But they all predict a decline.
All the analysts cite the wide-ranging impact of the coronavirus outbreak. They expect a sharp drop in the auto sector, as carmakers are suspending production worldwide. They say hotels and retailers have been hit hard due to the decline in tourist numbers, as well as the cancelation of numerous events. The analysts also say the transportation sector is seriously affected, since many governments around the world have closed their borders to foreigners.
Yuichi Kodama, Chief Economist at Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance says "we expect a record decline. Unfortunately, the possibility seems to have increased that the impact on the economy will be bigger than the 2008 financial crisis."
Looking ahead, Kodama also foresees huge negative effects. He says there is no end in sight to the pandemic, and concern about the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will only make things worse.
Key words : Toyota
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_18/
Toyota Motor has suspended some operations at one of its plants in central Japan after two workers tested positive for the new coronavirus.
The carmaker says one of the employees was found on Thursday to be infected, the other on Sunday.
Both are in their 20s. They faced each other while on the job at one of the two assembly lines in the Takaoka plant in Toyota City.
The line, which produces the Corolla sedan and SUV Harrier, has been idled.
More than 30 people who were in close contact with the infected workers are being ordered to stay at home.
Toyota will monitor their health and decide when to re-start the assembly line.
The entire factory building has been shut down for three days starting Monday for disinfection.
Key words : US government says
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_22/
The US government says the number of coronavirus cases in the country has topped 30,000.
Vice President Mike Pence made the announcement at a news conference with President Donald Trump and other officials at the White House on Sunday.
The number of cases in the US has doubled since Friday.
Pence attributed the spike in the numbers to the government's efforts to expand testing capacity.
Trump noted that he had approved major disaster declarations requested by New York and Washington.
The two states will be eligible for emergency federal funding.
Trump indicated that protective medical supplies, such as masks and gloves, will be promptly delivered to healthcare workers in New York and Washington.
The White House later announced that a major disaster has also been declared for the state of California.
The Trump administration plans to implement measures worth about two trillion dollars to deal with the economic impact of the pandemic.
US Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for the coronavirus. Paul is the third member of Congress to be diagnosed with the virus.
Key words : European countries tightening
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_19/
European countries are tightening restrictions to fight the coronavirus.
In Italy, the number of fatalities increased by over 650 on Sunday to surpass 5,400. The country also reported about 5,500 new infections, bringing the total to more than 59,000.
The government is strengthening its lockdown. All businesses not producing essential goods and services have been ordered to close.
The death toll in Spain jumped about 30 percent in one day to reach 1,720.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is seeking to extend the state of emergency until April 11.
The Spanish government says it will keep restrictions on people's movements in place, and will take measures such as converting hotels into makeshift hospitals.
The French government has tightened measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus by raising the penalties for people who fail to comply with restrictions on movement.
The Greek government imposed a curfew from Monday requiring people to stay at home except for essential travel. It says violators will face a fine.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday called on people to refrain from going out except for essential travel such as commuting and going to hospitals. She also said restaurants will be only allowed to provide delivery and takeout services.
Merkel later went into self-quarantine as she learned that the doctor who vaccinated her against pneumonia on Friday had tested positive for the coronavirus.
A government spokesperson says Merkel will carry out her duties from home.
Key words : French government tightened lockdown measure
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_11/
The French government has tightened measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus by raising penalties for people who fail to comply with restrictions on movement.
The lockdown measures imposed last Tuesday ask residents to basically stay at home, only allowing them to go out to buy food and other daily necessities, go to a hospital, or commute if they cannot work from home.
Those who go out need to carry a form that describes the reason for leaving home. Violators will face a fine of 135 euros, or about 144 dollars.
But a number of people have already been fined for violating the rules.
On Sunday, an official at the Interior Ministry said that any recurrence of non-compliance within 15 days risks a fine of up to 1,500 euros, or about 1,600 dollars.
Furthermore, if somebody who fails to comply with the rules repeatedly commits violations within 30 days, they can be fined 3,700 euros, or about 3,945 dollars, and sentenced to six months in jail.
Key words : some students
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200323_02/
Some students in Japan are hosting their own graduation ceremonies as many have been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The trend is popular among female students at universities and vocational schools. They have photos taken wearing traditional kimono and hakama skirts, which they had prepared for graduation day.
A photo studio in Tokyo's Meguro Ward offers on-location service. It says orders from new graduates are eight times larger as compared to the same period last year. Most of the orders are from those whose graduation ceremonies have been called off.
On Sunday, a group of five female students from a university in Kanagawa Prefecture had their graduation pictures taken on location.
Wearing kimono and hakama skirts, they tossed diploma cylinders in the air to get a feeling of a graduation ceremony.
The cameraperson wore a mask to prevent infection and disinfected her equipment afterwards.
One student said the cancellation of graduation was regrettable but she definitely wanted to wear formal kimono and hakama skirts. She added she was pleased to have photos taken with her friends before they depart.
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