Task Japan News Today

The average number of coronavirus patients among designated hospitals across Japan has been rising for 11 consecutive weeks, health ministry data showed Friday, with experts warning the country has entered its 10th COVID-19 wave.

One in four people in Japan have said in a survey they will continue to wear face masks in all social settings, even after COVID-19 guidelines on face coverings are eased on March 13, citing reasons such as infection prevention and habituation.

Japan will ask foreign guests attending the state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next week to wear protective face masks to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, the top government spokesman says.

More than a month has passed since the Japanese government relaxed its guidance on mask usage to reflect subsiding fears of the coronavirus, yet its call for removing masks whenever possible has not caught on widely among the public.

When the coronavirus pandemic began over two years ago, people in Japan quickly donned masks en masse with little complaint. But now the government has relaxed its guidance on outdoor mask usage, the message appears not to be filtering through.

Japan will ask foreign tourists to wear face masks and follow other precautions against COVID-19 when they visit the country, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says.

Wearing masks outdoors to protect against the coronavirus is not necessary providing social distancing is practiced, Japans top government spokesman says, with the approach of summer increasing the risk of heatstroke.

Debate is emerging in Japan over how much longer people should wear masks to combat the coronavirus. With the sixth domestic wave of infections on the wane, many are expressing signs of i

Japan is considering distributing unused cloth masks, dubbed "Abenomasks," to local governments after a large amount procured by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abes administration remained locked away accumulating storage costs, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno says.

A team of scientists at a university in western Japan has developed masks that glow when exposed to ultraviolet light if they contain traces of the coronavirus, using antibodies extracted from ostrich eggs.