Japan's state of emergency due to coronavirus outbreak continues to bring an unusual quiet to roads, transportation and tourist spots in the holiday period that began in late April.
On Saturday, the first day of the five-day consecutive holiday, popular destinations in Tokyo are almost deserted as people respond to calls to stay home.
TOKYO — Japan's monthly auto sales dropped to a nine-year low in April, industry data showed on Friday, after a state of emergency called by the government to contain the national outbreak of the novel coronavirus left showrooms deserted.
In the latest indicator of the widening impact of the virus on the world's third-largest economy, vehicles sales fell 29% in April from the same period a year ago to 270,393, according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and an association for dealers of Japan's "kei" minicars.
Subaru has issued a safety recall for select examples of the 2019 Outback wagon, Ascent SUV, Legacy sedan, and Impreza hatchback. These vehicles might have a fuel pump that could stop working and cause the engine to stall.
Between June 18, 2018, and February 25, 2019, Subaru believes it installed fuel pumps that could have a defect. According to filed recall documents, these vehicles might have low-pressure fuel pumps with "an impeller that was manufactured with a lower density." Should that impeller be exposed to solvent drying for longer periods of time, it could crack. Subaru says cracks could lead to "excessive fuel absorption, resulting in impeller deformation."
A survey by Japanese doctors shows a majority of patients who underwent therapy with a heart-lung machine are recovering from serious conditions caused by the new coronavirus.
The survey shows at least 23 coronavirus patients across Japan had received the treatment involving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, also known as ECMO.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways will slash domestic flights from Friday due to a drop in travel demand amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
The two Japanese airlines will for the first time curtail domestic services in the face of an increase in new infections.
Honda has announced a new recall on more than 200,000 Odyssey minivans, model years 2018 through 2020. Due to a safety defect, a wiring harness could potentially be pinched, which could create a short circuit and therefore a fire risk.
Honda first learned of a reported fire back in August 2018, but no information was provided to the company for further investigation. After a second fire in April 2019, however, Honda repurchased the involved minivan to examine it. In total, three fires were reported, and after months of internal testing and investigation, Honda identified the defect in January 2020.
Sony has officially pulled out of making an appearance at the MWC 2020 trade show, which is being held at the end of this month in Barcelona. Sony's exit follows a number of other manufacturers including LG, ZTE, Ericsson, Nvidia and Amazon, who will also not be attending due to the increasing health risks around coronavirus.
TOKYO — Nissan will temporarily halt production at its plant in Kyushu, southwestern Japan, due to the coronavirus, the Nikkei newspaper said on Monday, as the outbreak starts to strain the global supply chain.
Nissan, the first automaker to halt production at a plant in Japan because of the outbreak, was finding it increasingly difficult to procure parts from China, the Nikkei said.