The Japanese government has launched a new task force to fight a growing coronavirus outbreak.
A major US newspaper says the G7 foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement because of US insistence on referring to COVID-19 as the "Wuhan virus."
Governor of Tokyo has asked the governor of the four neighboring prefectures to cooperate in urging residents to avoid going out this weekend,
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20200326200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : government launched new task force
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200326_44/
The Japanese government has launched a new task force to fight a growing coronavirus outbreak.
The move paves the way for the Prime Minister to declare a state of emergency based on a newly enacted law.
The task force will hear opinions of experts and draft basic guidelines for measures to prevent the spread of infection and step up medical care.
If the government finds there is a serious threat to public health and the economy, it can now begin steps to declare an emergency for a designated area and time.
In that situation, governors would be able to order the closure of schools and limit the use of facilities where many people gather, for example department stores and movie theaters.
It would also enable governors to seize land and buildings for emergency medical facilities -- without the owners' consent. They would also be able to compel companies to sell necessary medicine and health care equipment to the state.
Japan has now confirmed over 1,300 coronavirus infections. That does not include more than 700 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
Forty-five people have died, along with ten from the cruise ship. More than 900 people have recovered and left hospital.
Key words : US newspaper failed to agree
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200326_40/
A US newspaper says the G7 foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement because of US insistence on referring to the new coronavirus as the "Wuhan virus."
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized nations held a video conference on Wednesday. They agreed to cooperate in developing medicine and helping developing countries stop the spread of the deadly virus.
The Washington Post on Thursday cited G7 officials as saying US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted on referring to the "Wuhan virus" in the meeting.
The paper quoted officials as saying other participants rejected the term as unnecessarily divisive when international cooperation is needed to slow the global pandemic.
After the conference, Pompeo reaffirmed his criticism of China, telling reporters "the most pressing agenda item today was the Wuhan virus."
The US and China have traded verbal blows over the origin of the epidemic and disclosure of information about the outbreak.
Key words : Koike ask neighbor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200326_36/
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike says she will ask the governors of Tokyo's four neighboring prefectures to cooperate in urging residents to avoid going out this weekend, to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
Koike told reporters on Thursday that she plans to hold a teleconference with the governors of Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba and Yamanashi later in the day. She said she hopes the five Tokyo metropolitan area governors will be able to issue a joint appeal.
The move followed an emergency appeal by Koike to Tokyo residents on Wednesday evening, urging them to avoid non-essential outings this weekend and on weekday evenings. She said Tokyo is at a critical juncture, facing the risk of an explosive spread of the coronavirus unless people take action now.
Tokyo had 41 new cases on Wednesday, the largest one-day increase the city has seen so far.
In response, Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa issued an emergency appeal to the people of Kanagawa at a news conference on Thursday afternoon, urging them to avoid going out this weekend unless it is essential.
He said Kanagawa has not seen a rapid increase in coronavirus infections yet. He asked people to avoid enclosed, crowded spaces, and to work from home as much as possible. He added that they should consider canceling or postponing large gatherings.
Chiba Governor Kensaku Morita also held a news conference on Thursday afternoon, to urge the people of Chiba to avoid non-essential travel to Tokyo this weekend.
Key words : Koike appeal
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200326_28/
Store operators in Tokyo are deciding whether to remain open this weekend after the city's governor urged people to stay at home for two days to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
On Wednesday, Yuriko Koike also appealed to Tokyoites to work from home on weekdays as much as possible and to refrain from going out at night.
Major retailer Aeon says its 17 supermarkets in Tokyo will be open as usual in the evenings and at the weekend.
Ito-Yokado has already shortened the opening hours of some of its Tokyo outlets, and is considering whether additional measures are necessary.
Major convenience store chains say their Tokyo outlets will remain open, in principle. But they will consult franchise owners to discuss what they should do if employees are unable to come to work. They say reducing opening hours is one possible option.
Some department stores in Tokyo have already shortened their business hours, but have not made any decisions yet about their evening and weekend operations.
Key words : Tokyo stock
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200326_31/
Tokyo stocks plunged on Thursday after Governor Yuriko Koike's call for residents to stay home raised investor worries about the impact of the pandemic on the economy.
The Nikkei 225 ended the day at 18,664 or down 4.5 percent. The index dropped nearly 900 points.
The Nikkei had been gaining this week before the drop, climbing almost 3,000 points or 18 percent. Investors welcomed the Bank of Japan's asset purchases and plans for a 2 trillion-dollar stimulus package in the US.
Key words : pace of growth
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200326_22/
The pace of growth in the prices of services that Japanese companies provide to each other slowed in February.
Much of the decline came from hotels and international transportation providers, whose fees dropped sharply due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bank of Japan says the Services Producer Price Index last month was up 2.1 percent from a year ago. The rise reflected higher payroll costs.
But compared to the previous month, the pace of that increase fell by 0.2 points, the first decline in seven months.
Prices charged by both hotels and international flights dropped around 7 percent from February 2019. BOJ officials say they are watching how an acceleration in the number of virus infection cases will affect the prices of services this month.
Key words : number of people topped
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200326_10/
The number of people infected with the new coronavirus has topped 400,000 globally, with most fatalities in Europe.
The World Health Organization says as of Wednesday, the total number of infections rose by 40,712 from the previous day to 414,179 in 199 countries and territories.
The death toll was up 2,202 to 18,440.
Italy has the most fatalities. The government figure of 7,503 is about twice that of China.
Local government leaders in Italy are using the internet to urge residents to stay home as many people are believed to be ignoring the nationwide lockdown.
In Spain, the government-announced death toll stands at 3,434, an increase of 738.
Authorities are using a skating rink as a temporary morgue to accommodate the surging number of fatalities.
Infections are spreading rapidly in the United States as well. The number of confirmed cases there as of Tuesday was 54,453, an increase of more than 10,000 from the previous day. The death toll was 737, an increase of 193.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that the peak has yet to come, and sought urgent help from the federal government in supplying more ventilators, beds and medical staff.
Key words : new york governor repeated
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200326_34/
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has repeated his call for the US government to supply artificial respirators to help save lives amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuomo told a news conference on Wednesday that no one ever anticipated such a large number of ventilators would be needed for intensive care.
In New York State, about 3,800 coronavirus patients were in hospital as of Wednesday, and 900 of them were in intensive care units.
Medical institutions in New York are said to have 4,000 ventilators. But Cuomo said up to 40,000 units will be needed if cases keep rising at the current pace.
Cuomo had asked the federal government and other parties to supply 30,000 ventilators. But only 400 had been provided as of Tuesday.
Cuomo also said his state could need up to 140,000 beds, while the current capacity is 53,000.
Event facilities and other locations are being converted into temporary hospitals to accept patients.
New York is also appealing to retired nurses and doctors to return to work.
Key words : Cuomo pedestrian
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200326_17/
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says New York City will close some streets to vehicles and open them to pedestrians to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Cuomo made the announcement in a news conference on Wednesday. The plan is aimed at ensuring people keep a distance of about 1.8 meters from others.
New Yorkers are currently restricted from going out, but they are allowed to go shopping for food and other essentials. People were seen forming lines at supermarkets while keeping a distance from other shoppers.
New York State reported more than 30,000 infections as of Wednesday. The figure is the biggest among the US states and more than eight times the tally of New Jersey, which has the second largest number of infections in the country.
Cuomo attributed this to many people arriving from China, Italy and South Korea, where many cases have been reported, and also to the high population density in his state, although he said this is his personal opinion.
He also stressed the importance of social distancing to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Key words : bank of thailand
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200326_32/
The Bank of Thailand has slashed the country's annual economic growth forecast into the negative. It says the tourism and export sectors are being hit hard by the pandemic.
The central bank says its projection is now minus 5.3 percent. The rate given for its previous forecast in December was plus 2.8 percent.
A dip below minus 5 percent would mark Thailand's lowest growth rate since 1998. That's when the country's economy shrank to minus 7.6 percent during the Asian currency crisis.
Key words : Waseda
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Key words : credit rating
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200326_30/
Credit ratings agency Moody's has downgraded Japanese IT giant SoftBank Group by two notches to Ba3, citing its massive plan to sell assets to reduce debt.
Moody's says the planned selloff "will be challenging in the current financial market downturn." The agency says it is reviewing SoftBank's debt for a further downgrade, pointing to the group's possible sales of core parts of its portfolio, including shares in China's online retailer Alibaba.
SoftBank said earlier this week that it will sell assets worth up to 4.5 trillion yen, or about 41 billion dollars, over the next 12 months.
The group criticized the downgrade, saying it was based on "excessively pessimistic assumptions".
SoftBank said it will cause "substantial misunderstanding among investors." It is asking Moody's to remove all bond ratings on the group.
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