Japan's NYK Line has ordered what will become the largest Japanese-registered international cruise ship.
The company is scheduled to take delivery of the vessel in 2025.
Japan officials to visit Egypt over Suez blockage
Japan s transport minister Akaba Kazuyoshi says his ministry is sending officials to Egypt after a Japanese-owned ship blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week.
The container vessel, owned by a firm based in the western Japanese prefecture of Ehime, became stranded in the canal last month, making it impossible for any ships to pass through.
Akaba told reporters on Friday he is grateful to Egyptian government officials and others who worked around the clock to free the vessel.
He called the canal a key waterway for the global economy, including Japan.
Japan's health ministry has begun discussing how to conduct the country's first clinical trial of medical cannabis. The medical use of cannabis is currently restricted under Japanese law.
Hospitals in Brazil under severe strain
The coronavirus and one of its variants have been ravaging Brazil, putting the country s medical system under severe strain.
The variant is believed to have originated in the Amazon city of Manaus and has been spreading across the country this month.
The daily number of confirmed cases has recently topped 70,000, the largest in the world, surpassing even the US. Daily deaths have topped 2,000 on some days.
As of Friday, more than 80 percent of intensive care units were occupied in at least 24 of 27 states.
In Sao Paulo, ICU occupancy rates topped 90 percent this week. Local media say dozens of people die each day before they are hospitalized.
China defends ban on Taiwanese pineapple imports
China has defended its ban on imports of pineapples from Taiwan and accused its ruling party of politicizing the matter.
Chinese customs authorities imposed the ban on March 1, citing pests.
Taiwanese authorities say no pests have been detected since control measures were tightened last October. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party says the ban is politically motivated.
A spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of China s State Council spoke to reporters about the ban on Wednesday.
Zhu Fenglian said mainland authorities notified Taiwan of 28 cases last year in which its pineapples were disqualified, but that the problem has yet to be addressed.