Asian View
Key words : overseas spectator allowed to attend hotel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210322_03/
News that overseas spectators are not allowed to attend the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will leave many people disappointed.
Kyla Gardner and her partner live in Australia. They spent 3,000 dollars on tickets, with plans to see 13 different events.
She said, "I'm disappointed that I won't be able to attend, but I also feel relieved that I just know one way or the other because I've been waiting so long to find out."
Now, they will settle for watching the world's top athletes from home. She said, "I think it's definitely reasonable not to allow international spectators, because we've all been through this pandemic. We see how quickly it spreads and how difficult it is to contain."
In Japan, people have been preparing to greet and guide visitors. Chiba City was beginning to roll out training for about 1,500 hopeful volunteers.
City volunteer Hidaka Yuko said, "I took up English lessons for this, so it's a bit of a shame that I can't use the skills I've learned."
Another volunteer Takeuchi Mitsuyo said, "It's a letdown, but I think holding the event itself is significant."
Then there is the fallout for the travel industry, already struggling through the pandemic.
A Tokyo hotel was fully booked for the Games. But about 80 percent of reservations came from overseas.
Assistant general manager Shibata Atsushi said, "I can imagine that we'll get cancellations so we have to seek out a different clientele, like Japanese people or event officials. "
Hotels hope new packages aimed at domestic tourists will soften the blow from what they expect to be a major financial hit.
Key words : north closed malaysia
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210323_01/
North Korea has closed its embassy in Malaysia after announcing that it is cutting ties with Kuala Lumpur over the extradition of a North Korean citizen to the United States for alleged money laundering.
The embassy was closed on Sunday. A North Korean diplomat read out a statement to the media, criticizing the extradition as an unpardonable crime.
The diplomat warned Malaysia will bear all responsibility for all the consequences to be incurred between the two countries.
A bus believed to be carrying diplomats and their families left for an airport.
The Malaysian government ordered North Korean embassy staff and their families to leave the country following Pyongyang's announcement on Friday.
The two countries previously had friendly relations. But their ties strained after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, was murdered at a Malaysian airport in 2017.
Key words : philippine
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210322_20/
The Philippines says more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels gathered at a coral reef inside the country's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
The government said in a statement on Saturday that the coast guard spotted about 220 Chinese vessels moored at the reef on March 7 and it believes they were "manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel."
It also said that there was clear weather at the time, but the Chinese vessels "massed at the reef showed no actual fishing activities and had their full white lights turned on during night time."
Photos taken by the coast guard show large vessels moored in line formation and carrying what appeared to be cranes.
The reef is about 300 kilometers west of Palawan Island.
The Philippines and China have been involved in a sovereignty dispute over part of the South China Sea.
A US think tank says Chinese coast guard ships have conducted patrolling activities near one of the disputed reefs on 287 days since December 2019.
Manila lodged a protest after China in January passed a law that enables its coast guard to carry weapons.
Government officials say Beijing may have sent the vessels to see how the Philippines would respond.
Key words : tokyo and three 80 percent
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210323_05/
In Japan, the state of emergency for Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures expired at the end of the day on Sunday.
Emergency measures took effect in early January, when coronavirus cases were surging. Since then case numbers in the capital have fallen 80 percent, and leveled off as measures were put in place to prevent a resurgence.
Officials in Tokyo confirmed 256 new positive tests on Sunday, with 4 deaths.
Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko said, "I want everyone to recognize that we need to avoid a rebound of infections. I am asking for continued cooperation to prevent a fourth wave."
There are concerns about places where people gather to view cherry blossoms.
At Tokyo's Ueno Park, temporary fences have been set up to prevent outdoor parties. Cherry trees had been lit up at night in the past, but not this year.
Local governments will maintain their requests that restaurants and bars close early, and that companies allow employees to work remotely.
Health minister Tamura Norihisa said the government will continue measures to prevent a resurgence after the state of emergency.
He also said, "We'll ask officials to set up PCR testing centers in urban areas such as train stations in order to detect any signs of an outbreak. Through such measures, we will work to prevent an explosive increase in case numbers.
Tamura also touched on the possibility of AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines being approved by the end of May. They are currently being screened for use in Japan.
Inoculations with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine started last month with healthcare workers getting first priority in the national vaccination program.
The minister says he is considering asking all travelers from abroad to remain at their accommodation and undergo tests there. Currently, that is only required of travelers from Europe and other countries where variants of the virus have been confirmed.
More than 1,100 new positive tests were reported across Japan on Sunday. That brings the total to more than 457,000 since the pandemic began.
Key words : pakistan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210322_07/
Pakistan's health officials say Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The officials said on Saturday that the prime minister is self-isolating at home. But they declined to share detailed information about his condition.
The announcement comes two days after Khan received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
Pakistan has reported more than 620,000 cases, with fatalities exceeding 13,000.
The government started inoculating healthcare workers last month, using vaccines supplied by China.
Following the infection of the prime minister, the government is again calling on people to take thorough preventive measures, such as wearing masks.
Key words : south foreign worker
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210320_34/
Authorities in the South Korean capital of Seoul have effectively scrapped an order requiring all foreign workers in the city to undergo coronavirus tests.
The decision was made on Friday, two days after the city issued an administrative order, which mandated that foreign workers undergo PCR tests by the end of March.
As reasons for the order, the authorities had cited an increase in the proportion of foreign nationals among the newly-confirmed coronavirus cases and mass infections at factories employing foreign workers in the suburbs of Seoul.
They said those who defied the order would face fines of up to 2 million won, or about 1,760 dollars.
The move provoked widespread criticism and sparked concern among foreign residents.
Britain's ambassador to South Korea, Simon Smith, said in a video posted on Twitter that the measures were not fair and were unlikely to be effective. He said the British Embassy would continue to call for a review of the decision.
Other embassies in the country expressed similar concerns.
The Hankyoreh newspaper said in an editorial on Friday that the moves exposed the authorities' regressive mindset on human rights. It added that the authorities would not be able to avoid the accusation that the measures are discriminatory.
The South Korean government urged officials in the city to address the issue.
On Friday evening, the officials said they would revise the order. They said they would instead recommend that foreign and South Korean workers at high-risk workplaces undergo virus testing.
Key words : toshiba
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210323_10/
Japanese electronics maker Toshiba has made a leap toward reducing carbon footprints with a new CO2 collection-and-conversion device, which the company says has the fastest processing speed in the world.
The new device turns CO2 into carbon monoxide with chemical reactions involving electricity.
Carbon monoxide can serve as a raw material for products such as aircraft fuel.
Senior Toshiba researcher Kitagawa Ryota says the technology will be key to enabling carbon neutrality when combined with renewable energy.
For now, the equipment can process 1 ton of CO2 per year, but they are aiming for bigger versions that could slash emissions at factories and other facilities.
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