The Tokyo metropolitan government building in Tokyo s Shinjuku district (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Tokyo confirmed 535 fresh cases of COVID-19 on May 23, almost the same level as last Sunday, metropolitan officials said.
On May 16, new cases stood at 542.
In Osaka Prefecture, the daily figure for new infection cases on May 23 fell below the 300 mark for the first time since March 29. Prefectural authorities confirmed 274 new infection cases and 14 deaths across the prefecture, raising cumulative fatalities to 2,128.
In Toyama Prefecture, authorities confirmed 64 new infection cases on May 23, exceeding the previous record of 34 on May 19.
For Tokyo, the seven-day case average over the week through May 23 came to 649.4, down by 19.5 percent from the preceding week.
Japan s hidden hydropower country taps water for carbon neutrality Japan s effort to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 has grassroots corporate support in a region where developers are unlocking potential for water and wind power.
Starting last month, the Toyama-based regional lender Hokuriku Bank has been using only electricity generated by local hydropower for its data center in central Toyama Prefecture, about 260 km northwest of Tokyo.
The bank became the first company to sign up for an electricity plan launched by regional utility Hokuriku Electric Power Co. and Toyama Prefecture. For a premium added to the electricity bill, the company will be plugged to electricity generated from hydropower plants run by the prefecture.
Cuisine régionale L évo in Toyama Prefecture selected for Destination Restaurant of the Year 2021 japantimes.co.jp - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from japantimes.co.jp Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Michael Markey (based in Toyama Prefecture) and 34-year-old
Matthew Savas (based in Boston, though he previously lived in Ishikawa Prefecture and Yokohama). The two Americans examine all things quick-service on their podcast, “Conbini Boys.”
1. How did you first end up in Japan?
Savas: I originally went as part of a study abroad program in college, and after I graduated I went back through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme.
Markey: I came on JET too, about 13 years ago, so right out of college. JET is where we met; we were both in Ishikawa.
2. What was your first meeting like?
People fed up over latest extension of COVID emergency in Japan
People in Japan on Saturday expressed weariness about having to put up with an extension of the coronavirus state of emergency until the end of May in an effort to suppress a resurgence of infections ahead of this summer s Tokyo Olympics.
At Tokyo s Haneda airport, few travelers were seen in the morning, following the government s decision announced the previous day to extend the emergency covering Tokyo and the greater Osaka area. The emergency was initially slated to end Tuesday.
Tokyo s Haneda airport is quiet with few travelers on May 8, 2021. (Kyodo)