The country has never mandated masks or vaccinations, but it’s evaded the worst of Covid, thanks to a fear of public shaming and the “self restraint police.”
Tag: Japan
Lost and Found: USB Sticks with Data on 460,000 People
The plight of a technician tasked with transferring a city’s worth of personal data is a lesson in the risks of combining small, important objects with a night out drinking.
Dozens Injured by Hot Coals at Company Event in Zurich
More than two dozen employees of a Swiss company were injured while walking in bare feet over hot coals, an ancient religious tradition that has become popular on corporate retreats.
Chie Hayakawa Imagines a Japan Where the Elderly Volunteer to Die
The premise for Chie Hayakawa’s film, “Plan 75,” is shocking: a government push to euthanize the elderly. In a rapidly aging society, some also wonder: Is the movie prescient?
Biden’s Words on Taiwan Leave Allies in an Awkward Spot
Ahead of a summit with Australia, India and Japan, an off-the-cuff vow to defend the island militarily against China complicates diplomacy, particularly for Australia.
Russia and China Held Military Exercise in East Asia as Biden Visited
The coordinated bomber flights were the first training activity the two nations had done together since President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
Biden Pledges to Defend Taiwan if It Faces a Chinese Attack
Moving away from a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” the president said that to protect the island democracy, he would go beyond what the U.S. has done for Ukraine.
Biden Says U.S. Military Would Defend Taiwan if China Invaded
Moving away from a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” the president said he would take a step to protect the island democracy that he has been unwilling to make when it comes to Ukraine.
Japanese Man Gambles Away a Town’s Covid Funds
An official in the rural Japanese town wired the 24-year-old man nearly $360,000 by mistake. He lost it in online casinos. Now, the town is suing and he has been arrested.
Katsumoto Saotome, Who Preserved Stories of Tokyo Firebombing, Dies at 90
He compiled six books of survivors’ recollections of the 1945 attack. He also founded (without government support) a memorial museum.