Malaysia not alone in launching Covid-19 emergency

Caught off-guard by scant testing, Japan battered by COVID winter

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan missed opportunities to coordinate coronavirus testing and secure hospital beds in the months before the pandemic's third wave, health officials, doctors and experts say, missteps that hampered its response as winter set in.

New restrictions, old habits

TOKYO: Japan’s expanded state of emergency went into effect as the government sought to stop a surge of new coronavirus infections, though with the restrictions not binding, many people appeared to be ignoring the requests to avoid non-essential travel.

Decision on holding delayed Olympic Games 'could go either way', says Japan minister

TOKYO (Reuters) - The once-delayed Tokyo Olympics may not go ahead this summer as planned as the COVID-19 pandemic rages, a Japanese cabinet minister said on Thursday, saying the host needs to be ready for anything.

Japan PM pledges maximum support for COVID-treating hospitals

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Thursday the government intended to offer maximum support to hospitals that take in COVID-19 patients, as the country faces a steep climb in cases.

Japan expands Covid-19 emergency beyond Tokyo to cover Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka

TOKYO (The Straits Times/ANN): Japan has expanded its Covid-19 state of emergency to seven more prefectures, covering the major cities of Osaka, Nagoya, Kobe and Fukuoka, in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus nationwide.

Team GB 'hugely confident' Tokyo Games will go ahead

LONDON (Reuters) - Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England said on Wednesday he was confident the Tokyo Olympics would go ahead this year but athletes could expect them to be very different due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Italy traces Covid-19 'patient zero' to November 2019

BEIJING (China Daily/ANN): An Italian was found to have been infected with Covid-19 in November 2019, making her "patient zero" of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, which has been one of the deadliest in Europe.

Japan presses on with Olympics preparations despite surging coronavirus cases

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government is continuing with preparations to hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer as planned, following a postponement because of the coronavirus pandemic, chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato said on Wednesday.

Japan set to expand state of emergency, public cools to Olympics

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government plans to expand a state of emergency it declared for the Tokyo area last week to seven additional prefectures on Wednesday in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19, public broadcaster NHK reported.