Japanese Scale Measures Stress Of Covid - 19 Workers

Japanese scale measures stress of COVID-19 workers

A group of researchers in Japan has developed a tool to detect mental distress in medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medical workers are said to be at high risk of developing mental health problems due to fears of coronavirus infection and social stigma.

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Narita Temple Gets Year - End Dusting

Narita temple gets year-end dusting

A major Buddhist temple in the city of Narita near Tokyo has been spruced up for the New Year.

About 40 monks and staff members wearing masks gathered in the main hall of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple shortly after 5:00 a.m. and began dusting Buddhist statues and altar ornaments with brushes and cloths.

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Traditional Wooden Paddles Depict Prominent People

Traditional wooden paddles depict prominent people

Seven "kawari hagoita" wooden paddles portraying prominent people of the year were put on display on Sunday.

A doll wholesaler in the capital city has been making the paddles every year since 1986, using a traditional Japanese "oshie" quilting technique.

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Bear Sighting Forces Hokkaido Skiers To Evacuate

Bear sighting forces Hokkaido skiers to evacuate

Dozens of people have been evacuated in Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido after two wild bears were spotted near a ski slope. No one was injured.

Police say skiers on a lift noticed the bears in a forest near the peak of the Bibai Kokusetsu ski resort in Bibai City on Sunday morning.

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Govt. To Focus On Areas With Surging Cases

Govt. to focus on areas with surging cases

Japan's minister in charge of the coronavirus response says the government will take all possible measures in areas where infections are surging.

Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi said on an NHK program on Sunday that the government is responding with a strong sense of urgency as the country's daily new cases continue to hit record levels.

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Japan's Defense Budget Likely To Be Record High

Japan's defense budget likely to be record high

NHK has learned that Japan's defense budget for fiscal 2021 is likely to be around 51 billion dollars -- a record high. The budget would be higher for nine years in a row.

The Defense Ministry has been negotiating its budget request with the Finance Ministry before the government compiles the budget plan late this month.

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Suga Stresses Commitment To Curbing Emissions

Suga stresses commitment to curbing emissions

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide says his government will try to report to the UN by next November on how it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions through 2030.

Suga made the remark in his video message for an on-line summit commemorating the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement. Under the agreement, each country must determine and regularly report on its contributions to mitigate global warming.

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Government Holds Symposium On Abduction Issue

Government holds symposium on abduction issue

Relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea have called on the government to step up efforts to get all the victims back as soon as possible.

They made the appeal on Saturday at a government-sponsored symposium in Tokyo that coincided with a week-long campaign to raise awareness about human rights abuses in North Korea.

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5 Prefectures Face Severe Shortage Of Hospital Beds

5 prefectures face severe shortage of hospital beds

Japan's medical systems are increasingly under strain as the number of cases of coronavirus continues to rise.

On Tuesday, Hokkaido, Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures were at Stage 4, the worst of the four-level alert scale, in terms of hospital bed availability. The scale was set by a government advisory panel to assess the severity of an outbreak.

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Atomic Bomb Survivor Speaks To Un Tour Guides

Atomic bomb survivor speaks to UN tour guides

A survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima has given an online lecture on her experience to tour guides at UN facilities around the world.

Kajimoto Yoshiko spoke on Thursday, Japan time, at an event organized by the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation. Her audience included tour guides from UN facilities in New York and Geneva.

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Subsidy Travel Campaign In The Spotlight

Subsidy travel campaign in the spotlight

Japanese authorities and experts are preparing for the next steps in the fight against the coronavirus as a crucial three-week period draws to a close. The panel of experts are calling on the government to stop giving a subsidy to travel to areas where cases are rising.

The experts met on Friday, just a few days out from the end of what they had called a critical three weeks. One of the agenda items was the government's domestic travel campaign which has been in place to support the pandemic-battered economy.

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