OKINAWA ORDERS SCHOOLS TO CLOSE OVER RISING COVID-19 INFECTIONS

Highlights –

• Okinawa orders schools to close over rising COVID-19 infections.
• Okinawa prefecture is currently under a coronavirus state of emergency.
• Clusters infections at schools and childcare facilities have been reportedly rising....

LOCAL GOVT. IN JAPAN WORKING THROUGH TO MINIMIZE COVID-19 VACCINE WASTAGE

Highlights –

• Local govt. in Japan working through to minimize COVID-19 vaccine wastage.
• The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has requested local govts. to adopt flexible measures.
• Some have been instructed to use surplus doses to...

CHINA’S FISCAL REVENUE IN Q1 OF 2021 ROSE 25.5 PERCENT

Highlights –

• China’s fiscal revenue in Q1 of 2021 rose 25.5 percent.
• The Ministry of Finance, the country's fiscal revenue topped 7.8 trillion yuan.
• Tax revenue in the first four months came in at nearly 6.75 trillion yuan.<...

CHINA BORDER WITH MYANMAR LEADS TO RISING COVID-19 CASES

Highlights –

• China border with Myanmar area leads to rising COVID-19 cases.
• Southwestern Yunnan province’s, Ruili city has put residents in its urban area under home quarantine.
• On April 4 the city recorded 15 new local cases.

JAPAN REVISES CIRCULAR ON COVID-19 VARIANT ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS

Highlights –

• Japan revises circular on COVID-19 variant asymptomatic patients.
• The ministry of health has advised asymptomatic and mildly ill patients to recuperate at accommodation facilities.
• The ministry is also considering the est...

S. KOREAN LOCAL GOVT. OFFICIAL ARRESTED OVER ALLEGED LAND SPECULATIONS

Highlights –

• S. Korean local govt. official arrested over alleged land speculations.
• The police sought out an arrest warrant against the senior official.
• The official is said to have bought about 2,600 square meters of land.

SEOUL GOVT. REPORTS AROUND 80 NEW FOREIGNERS’ TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

Highlights –

• Seoul govt. reports around 80 new foreigners’ tests positive for COVID-19.
• The local government has been testing all foreign nationals living in the city 40 kilometers.
• Around 509 people got tested on Sunday, among ...

S. KOREA REPORTS 110 FACTORY WORKERS TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

Highlights –

• S. Korea reports 110 factory workers test positive for COVID-19.
• Jingwan General Industrial Complex, a factory located at Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.
• A foreign employee tested positive for COVID-19 at a hospital in cent...

LOCAL GOVERNORS IN JAPAN ASK CENTRAL GOVT. TO PROVIDE COVID-19 VACCINE PLANS

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• Local governors in Japan ask central govt. to provide COVID-19 vaccine plans.
• The central govt. has so far not provided any details of when the vaccines will be available.
• The National Governors' Association vowed to ...

JAPAN’S TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION SCHEME TO LOCAL GOVT. SEES A RISE

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• Japan’s tax-deductible donation scheme to local govt. sees a rise.
• The ‘hometown tax’ by Japan Govt. allows people to make donations to municipalities where they do not reside.
• The workload of officials ...

CHINA’S COVID-19 CASES BREACH 100-MARK AHEAD OF WHO TEAM VISIT

• China's COVID-19 cases breached the 100-mark for the first time in recent months, ahead of Thursday's visit of the WHO team to Wuhan to investigate the nucleus of the coronavirus.
• The number of coronavirus cases in China jumped to 115 on Tuesday, the National Health Com...

JAPAN CABINET APPROVES 3rd SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET OF $210 BILLION FOR FISCAL 2020

Highlights –

• Japan Cabinet approves 3rd supplementary budget of $210 billion for fiscal 2020.
• A new national bond worth 22.40 trillion yen will be issued from the supplementary budget.
• Japan’s current fiscal year’s debt is...

SHIGA PREFECTURE REPORTS BIRD FLU; CULLING BEGINS OF AROUND 11,000 CHICKENS

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• Shiga prefecture reports bird flu; culling begins of around 11,000 chickens.
• The H5 strain made Shiga the 10th prefecture hit with the avian flu.
• A farm in Higashomi on Saturday reported the flu to the local governme...

AVIAN FLU OUTBREAK IN KAGAWA PREFECTURE; 46,000 CHICKENS CULLED

Highlights –

• Avian flu outbreak in Kagawa prefecture; 46,000 chickens culled.
• A separate outbreak was recorded on Nov.5 at a poultry farm in the city of Mitoyo in the same prefecture.
• The poultry outbreak occurred on the farm that had...

HOKKAIDO RECORDS THE HIGHEST COVID-19 CASES ON MONDAY WITH 200

Highlights –

• Hokkaido records the highest COVID-19 cases on Monday with 200.
• Infections in Hokkaido exceeded more than 100 for the fourth single day.
• The local government raised its own five-level pandemic alert one step to the third ...

JAPAN REVISES BASIC GUIDELINES ON NURSING CARE; INFECTIOUS DISEASES INCLUDED

Highlights –

• Japan revises basic guidelines on nursing care; infectious diseases included.
• Ministry of Japan to include measures for natural disasters as well.
• The revision was approved by the Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare.<...

JAPAN’S AMBITIOUS PLAN TO GO DIGITAL UNDER CRISIS; COVID-19 EXPOSED THE SHORTCOMINGS

Highlights –

• Japan’s ambitious plan to go digital under crisis; COVID-19 exposed the shortcomings.
• Less than 12% of administrative work is transacted online in Japan.
• Just 5.4% of citizens utilize digital applications at public...

North Rhine-Westphalia's Christmas markets for plastics

Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, have been searching with ideas on how to tackle the country's rising use of plastics. In 2017, when the country produced 18.7 million tons of plastic waste – 226.5 kg per person – plastics use in Germany reached a peak.

Though o...

Residents not very happy with the tourists’ behavior

Despite tourism booming, a rise in foreigners is creating issues for residents. There have been complaints in Hokkaido about foreign tourists trespassing on farmland, and many communities now have to deal with visitors with reckless behaviour and illegal dumping and severe traffic jams. Local gov...