All About Japan

Saliva Testing for COVID at Japanese Airports

Japan’s government will nearly double the coronavirus testing capacity at international airports such as Haneda by introducing antigen examinations using saliva samples whose results take only about an hour.

Tokyo's New Foreign Residents Support Center

The Japanese government has opened a center that offers foreign residents support ranging from immigration issues to employment. The facility also advises companies employing foreigners, and local governments of areas where they reside.

Central Japan Railway Adds More Bullet Trains

Central Japan Railway Company increased the number of its Nozomi bullet trains to 12 per hour ahead of the Obon summer vacation.

Patients With COVID-19 Antibodies Found Immune

The results of Japan’s large-scale antibody test show all eight patients who had antibodies against the novel coronavirus were immune to COVID-19.

Record 1,000 New Coronavirus Cases in Japan

Japan sees a record number of new cases of novel coronavirus in one day, hitting over 1,000 for the very first time.

Hakone Tozan Railway Is Ready to Roll

Typhoon-hit Hakone Tozan Railway is preparing to resume operations. The railway was partially destroyed last October by Typhoon Hagibis. Operators had a successful test run on Wednesday.

Kitamura Shop Like Theme Park for Camera Fans

Kitamura Camera's new location, which just opened in early July 2020, hopes to become a one-stop-shop for amateur and professional photographers alike. And Spoon & Tamago has the scoop!

Fireball in Japan Identified as Meteorite

Researchers have identified a fireball seen streaking across the night sky over wide areas of Japan in early July as a meteorite.

Introducing Japan's Top Sommelier

A competition in Tokyo has decided Japan’s best sommelier.

More Foreign Than Japanese Residents in 2019

The Tokyo area welcomed more new foreign residents than Japanese citizens last year, marking the first time for the foreign population to increase faster than the Japanese one for the area since the ministry began separating such demographic data in 2012.

70% of New Covid Cases Among 20s & 30s Adults

Tokyo confirmed 107 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, and over 100 cases per day over the the weekend. The capital has designated a four-color warning system to notify the public of the severity of the situation.

AI Bartender Serving Up Age-Based Craft Beers

Electronics maker NEC has used artificial intelligence to come up with craft beers reflecting the characteristics of age groups. The AI analyzed some 300 magazines from a 40-year-period to propose beer tastes for people in their 20s to 50s.

JAXA's Asteroid Explorer to Return in December

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency says its asteroid explorer will return to Earth from its mission this December. Hayabusa 2 has been collecting sand and rocks from an asteroid to try and discover the origins of life.

Japan Marks 75th Anniversary of End of WWII

Organizers scale back the event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II amid the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Tokyo Excluded From Go To Travel Campaign

Japan’s government will go ahead with a domestic travel campaign starting July 22, but has excluded Tokyo due to a growing number of new cases of coronavirus. Travelers and firms participating in the travel subsidy program will also need to abide by a li

Japan to Abolish Seal-Stamping System

Bad news for fans of Japanese seals! Japan is looking to do away with its custom of physical seal stamping and come up with a digitized process.

Tokyo Hits Record High for New COVID Cases

Tokyo confirmed 224 new cases of infection with the novel coronavirus on Thursday, July 9, a record high for a single day.

Tokyo On High Alert for Coronavirus

Tokyo officials have raised the four-stage COVID-19 alert to its highest level, since the Japanese capital saw more than 100 new cases for the seventh straight day.

SoftBank Fails to Declare Billions in Income

Japanese tax authorities have found that SoftBank Group Corporation failed to declare about 40 billion yen in income for the business year through March 2019.

New Daily High of Coronavirus Cases in Tokyo

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported a new daily high of 286 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Japan’s capital on Thursday.

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