Coronavirus
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‘A free-for-all’: Japan divided as return of tourists brings Instagrammers and litter
A year after travel restrictions were lifted, authorities are straining to cope with millions of visitors, esp…
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Grin and bare it: as mask mandates end Japan turns to tutors to relearn how to smile
‘Smile education’ coach Keiko Kawano says more and more people have developed a ‘complex’ about smilingAfter t…
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Japan says 1.5m people are living as recluses after Covid
Fifth of hikikomori cases among working-age people attributed to pressures unleashed by pandemicAlmost 1.5 mil…
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Tokyo lodges protest after China punishes Japanese travellers over Covid test requirements
Japan says Beijing’s decision to halt visa processing is ‘extremely regrettable’, amid uncertainty as to wheth…
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China halts short-term visas for South Korea and Japan over Covid travel curbs
Beijing had said it would retaliate against countries that require negative tests from Chinese travellersChina…
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China’s move to open up travel sparks concern over spread of new variants
Japan, India and Taiwan introduce measures to prevent influx of cases as experts say lack of data makes it dif…
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Japanese pupils want end to Covid ban on lunchtime chatter
After two years of eating in silence, survey by mother finds 90% of schoolchildren want to converse againMost …
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Relief tinged with unease as Japan reopens after two ‘really tough’ years
In Kyoto, local shop owners are ready to welcome back tourists but there is a way to go before a return to pre…
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Japan opens borders to tourists as last pandemic travel restrictions eased
Japan removes strict Covid-19 travel curbs, fuelling hopes a tourist boom will reinvigorate the economyJapan h…
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Japan to reopen to tourists after more than two years of Covid border restrictions
PM says relaxation will take effect from 11 October as Hong Kong scraps hotel quarantine measures for visitors…
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Pressure builds on Japan to return to unrestricted tourism by end of month
Businesses want prime minister Fumio Kishida to loosen restrictions to help the world’s third-biggest economy …
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Japan tax office launches campaign to help encourage drinking
Contest asks young adults for ideas to revitalise popularity of alcoholic drinks after big fall in tax revenue…
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Japan may rethink reporting of Covid cases as subvariant hits hard
Tokyo considers measures to ease pressure on hospitals as country struggles to contain outbreakJapan could soo…
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Japan urges ‘highest level of vigilance’ as Omicron subvariant drives record Covid surge
People in Okinawa asked to avoid non-essential outings amid new wave of infections driven by highly transmissi…
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Japanese children allowed to talk again over lunch as Covid cases fall
An education board in western Japan will end observation of mokushoku – or silent eating – but some parents sa…
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Japan to let in foreign tourists, but only if masked and accompanied by chaperone
Visitors from select countries will be allowed to return to Japan from Friday but will only be allowed to trav…
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Japan to reopen to foreign tourists after two-year pandemic closure
Government to allow in tourists from 98 countries and regions next month – but only as part of tour groupsSee …
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Japan prepares to reopen to tourists for first time since 2020
‘Test tourism’ to begin in May in the form of limited package tours as a way of gathering information prior to…
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‘We have to be careful’: why are masks still worn in Japan and South Korea?
Covid cases are stabilising in the countries but many may continue to wear face coverings, even if rules chang…
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Covid robbed Kyoto of foreign tourists – now it is not sure it wants them back
City that had 8 million overseas visitors in 2019 – including free-spending parties of Chinese people – is get…