Key words : prime just month
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210507_34/
Japan's prime minister has extended and expanded the coronavirus state of emergency just months before the Olympic cauldron is set to be lit.
Tokyo, Osaka, and four other prefectures will take anti-virus measures in an effort to stop the spread of variants and ease the strain on hospitals.
Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide said, "In Osaka, we need more time to improve what is a critical situation concerning hospital beds, as variants known to be more contagious continue to spread."
The current declaration covers Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, and Kyoto -- and will now go until the end of the month.
Suga is adding two more prefectures to the list. Aichi and Fukuoka have also seen infections surge.
Osaka remains the largest hot spot. Daily tallies are declining, but are still above 1,000. A record 50 deaths were reported on Friday.
The new measures targeted risky behavior. Governors in affected areas are calling on bars and restaurants that serve alcohol or offer karaoke to close. Other eateries are asked to shut at 8 p.m.
Other measures are actually being relaxed. Shopping malls and department stores have been closed except for daily essentials.
Governors can now allow those businesses to reopen with shortened hours to alleviate the impact on the economy.
Sports events will now be allowed to have spectators, but crowds will be capped at 5,000.
Suga addressed growing concerns from the public about Japan's ability to host the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics -- now fast approaching.
Suga said, "We are considering strict anti-virus measures, such as testing Olympic athletes for the coronavirus every day. By implementing those measures, we believe we can hold the Games safely and securely, while protecting people's health and their lives."
Suga said the International Olympic Committee has struck a deal with Pfizer to provide enough vaccine doses for all participants.
He also said athletes will not have any physical contact with the public.
Across the country, over 6,000 new infections were reported on Friday, the highest figure in about four months.
One hundred forty-six deaths were confirmed -- the most ever recorded in a single day.
Key words : secure medical
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210508_02/
The organizer of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics is finding it increasingly difficult to secure medical volunteers due to Japan's recent surge in coronavirus cases.
The Tokyo organizing committee is asking for about 10,000 medical personnel for the Games, which begin July 23.
In a survey conducted from April by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association on 4,784 sports doctors, 92 respondents said they would be willing to volunteer. The organizing committee is asking the association to secure 200.
A doctor in his 30s says the Games are being prioritized, despite the unprecedented medical crisis. He says it's difficult to leave his workplace because the staff are increasingly busy.
The organizing committee says it is consulting with medical-related groups while considering the medical care situation.
Key words : world health list distribution
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210508_06/
The World Health Organization has added a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese state-owned drug maker Sinopharm to its list of vaccines approved for emergency use.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement on Friday.
The emergency use listing includes vaccines developed by Pfizer and other Western makers. The Sinopharm vaccine is the first developed by a non-Western country to be listed.
A WHO listing would allow the vaccine to be included in the COVAX Facility, a global program led by the organization to facilitate more equitable vaccine distribution. The organization urged Sinopharm to participate in the program.
COVAX currently relies on the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine produced in India for 70 percent of the vaccines it plans to distribute by June. But supply has been significantly delayed due to the rapid spread of infections in India.
The WHO aims to accelerate distribution of vaccines to developing countries by approving Sinopharm's jabs for emergency use.
Key words : blinken urge assembly
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210508_05/
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged the World Health Organization to allow Taiwan to attend its upcoming annual assembly as an observer.
In a statement on Friday, he pointed out that Taiwan will be excluded despite the WHO's push for stronger international cooperation to end the coronavirus pandemic.
Blinken also said Taiwan is "a vibrant democracy" and "a force for good in the world."
Earlier this month, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized nations adopted a joint statement supporting Taiwan's inclusion in the assembly, which starts on May 24.
Taiwan has not been invited to the WHO assembly since 2017, due to China's opposition.
Key words : British travel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210508_07/
The British government says it will allow international travel to gradually resume from mid-May, as coronavirus cases have been declining in the country.
Travel abroad from England has been banned since January, except for essential reasons including business and medical treatment.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Friday the ban will be lifted on May 17.
The government will apply different levels of restrictions to returnees from countries based on traffic light colors. Twelve countries and territories have been added to the "green list," including Israel and Australia. Residents returning from green list countries will not be required to quarantine.
The government says people should still avoid leisure travel to many destinations, as infections continue to surge. Countries including Japan are on the "amber list." India and other countries where infections remain serious are on the "red list."
Shapps said he regrets favorite summer destinations like France and Spain are not yet included on the green list. He said "we have to turn the key slowly" to check the situation in various countries.
The government plans to review the color-coded list every three weeks.
Key words : US military rocket re-entry
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210508_12/
The US military is keeping a sharp eye on a large Chinese rocket that is due to fall back to Earth in what experts describe as an "uncontrolled re-entry."
The US military has been tracking the Long March 5B rocket, which China launched on April 29 as part of a project to build its own space station.
There are fears debris from the rocket may not burn up in the atmosphere but fall to earth instead.
The US military says the rocket is currently predicted to reenter the atmosphere over waters off New Zealand at 2:52 UTC on Sunday, give or take six hours.
But it adds the location could vary widely.
The Chief of Space Operations of the US Space Force, General John Raymond, told a Congressional subcommittee on Friday that the rocket is being closely monitored by radar as well as optical telescopes.
Raymond promised to issue a warning once more accurate information is obtained as to the re-entry point.
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