[Biography of the Day] from [Britannica]
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky—the most popular Russian composer in history, whose impressive harmonies, openhearted melodies, and colourful orchestration provoke profound emotional responses—was born this day in 1840.
[On This Day] from [Britannica]
1663: Theatre Royal opened
The Theatre Royal, built by the dramatist Thomas Killigrew for his company of actors and now known as the Drury Lane Theatre, opened in London this day in 1663 and is the oldest English theatre still in use.
[TODAY'S TOP STORIES] from [The Japan Times]
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Health ministry prepares for possible flu alert upgrade
(Kyodo News) Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura on Wednesday ordered the health ministry to make preparations for a possible upgrade of the World Health Organization's pandemic alert for a new strain of influenza to the highest level of 6.
Meeting with Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe at the ministry, Kawamura said, "If the phase is upgraded to 6, Japan has to do everything it can. Japan's crisis management will be put to the test."
He also called on the ministry to continue making all-out efforts to block the entry of the virus into Japan, such as conducting health checks on passengers at airports, and to be fully prepared in the event that a person infected with the new influenza is found in the country.
Japan has yet to be hit by the H1N1 virus. The number of people infected with the flu has exceeded 1,500 in a total of 22 countries and territories around the globe, according to government announcements and media reports.
At Narita airport, many passengers returning to Japan from trips abroad could be seen wearing masks as a precaution against the flu as Wednesday marks the last day of this year's Golden Week holiday period in the country. An estimated 46,000 people arrived at the airport from overseas on Wednesday alone.
"I was worried about the flu when I left Japan (for South Korea), but the only people wearing masks I saw there were Japanese," said Kana Ishii, a 21-year-old college student who had been on a family trip to the neighboring country.
Setsuko Ouchi, 25, said she had reluctantly returned to Japan from Mexico, where she had been studying, at the request of her family who were worried about the large number of people infected in the Latin American country. "There are not many people wearing masks in Mexico," she added.
Namie Sawada, a 38-year-old doctor from Tokyo who returned to Japan from New York, also had something to say about differing perceptions of masks.
"When I was wearing a mask in New York, people looked at me as though they had seen something bizarre," she said. Sawada also said it is important to conduct follow-up studies on people suspected of being infected with the flu, in addition to medical checks on passengers at airports, because the flu has an incubation period.
At a separate meeting the same day, Masuzoe criticized some hospitals for refusing to see patients suffering from fever, even though their risk of being infected with the new influenza is low because they have not been to any of the countries affected by the flu.
"It's against the Medical Practitioners Law. I would like doctors to treat such people as part of their social responsibility," he told a health ministry meeting to deal with the influenza issue.
The number of cases in which Tokyo hospitals had refused to see people with fever totaled 92 from Saturday morning to noon Tuesday, a Tokyo metropolitan government survey showed Tuesday.
If the WHO pandemic alert level is upgraded from 5 at present, the government is expected to hold a meeting of its flu task force headed by Prime Minister Taro Aso, according to Kawamura.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Nagoya man latest in series of new flu scares
(Kyodo News) A man in his 40s from Nagoya emerged Wednesday as having been possibly infected with a new strain of influenza that is feared to be developing into a global pandemic, while six others previously suspected have been confirmed as not infected with the new flu.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said the man tested positive for influenza A in a preliminary test after having a fever while staying in Tokyo. A second test is being conducted by a Tokyo health institution to determine if he has been infected with the H1N1 subtype of influenza A.
Tokushima Prefecture said the results of a second test on a woman who arrived Monday at Kansai airport after a trip to the United States showed that she was not infected with any influenza virus.
Meanwhile, the health ministry said five other people suspected of being infected with influenza A (H1N1) upon arrival in Japan from the United States or Mexico have been confirmed as not infected with the new flu.
The five are a 14-year-old girl from Aichi Prefecture, an elementary schoolgirl from Kyoto City, a woman in her 30s and her child who live in Chicago and are currently staying in Gunma Prefecture, and a girl from Kyoto Prefecture.
They were either found to be infected with type-A Hong Kong flu, group A hemolytic streptococcus or not infected with any influenza virus, according to the ministry.
No cases of the new flu have been confirmed in Japan, although there have been several cases in which patients tested positive for the influenza A virus but the strain was not the same as the new flu.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Over 80% of lawmakers support revising organ transplant law
(Kyodo News) More than 80 percent of lawmakers polled support revising the organ transplant law during the current parliamentary session through June 3 to pave the way for allowing children to receive organ donations domestically, according to a Kyodo News survey released Wednesday.
Kyodo sent questionnaires to all of the 720 upper and lower house members at a time when bills to revise the law are being deliberated at the Diet, of whom 150, or 20 percent, provided valid responses.
Of the supporters of amending the law, accounting for 83 percent of the overall respondents, 72 percent said the minimum age of 15 for brain-dead donors in organ transplants should be eliminated.
As the current law bans children under 15 from becoming donors, many Japanese children who need organ transplants have to travel overseas in search of donors.
The survey also showed less than 50 percent of the lawmakers agree with recognizing brain death as legal death by revising the current law, which accepts brain death only in cases where a person is ready to become a donor. More than 30 percent want to keep the existing rule, indicating rooted resistance to recognizing brain death as legal death without exception.
Several proposals for revising the organ transplant law have been submitted to the Diet, among which a bill to legalize brain death as a rule and to eliminate the minimum age for becoming an organ donor drew 61 percent support among the respondents, according to the Kyodo survey.
The response rate to the survey was only around 20 percent, indicating many lawmakers are still grappling with the issue, which is closely related to religious and other views about life.
During the last 12 years since the current law became effective in 1997, around 100,000 patients have died as they could not receive organ transplants, according to the Japan Society for Transplantation.
[BUSINESS NEWS]
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Panasonic pumps up plasma panel capacity
OSAKA (Kyodo) Panasonic Corp. has jacked up production capacity for plasma TV panels to a record high as domestic demand for flat TVs recovers, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
Panasonic increased monthly output capacity at its two factories in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, to the equivalent of 940,000 42-inch panels, up from 785,000 panels, by streamlining and improving productivity at its lines, they said.
Earlier, Panasonic postponed the launch, originally set for May, of a third plasma TV panel factory it was building in Amagasaki by six months as demand for plasma TVs fell sharply amid the global economic slump.
But the drop in demand also led producers to cut prices, which subsequently stimulated demand, the sources said.
Panasonic raised output after sales of its Viera line started picking up, they said.
The government's "eco-point" benefit system for buying environment-friendly appliances is set to begin May 15 and will likely have a positive effect on flat TV sales, the sources added.
The system is part of the Green New Deal policy aimed at expanding Japan's environment-linked market and creating replacement demand.
Consumers will be able to receive a refund equivalent to 5 percent of the price of energy-saving appliances in the form of points from public funds. The points cannot be cashed in and can only be used to purchase other products.
When the third factory in Amagasaki is launched next January, Panasonic will further increase plasma panel output capacity by 120,000 42-inch panels a month, the sources said.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky—the most popular Russian composer in history, whose impressive harmonies, openhearted melodies, and colourful orchestration provoke profound emotional responses—was born this day in 1840.
[On This Day] from [Britannica]
1663: Theatre Royal opened
The Theatre Royal, built by the dramatist Thomas Killigrew for his company of actors and now known as the Drury Lane Theatre, opened in London this day in 1663 and is the oldest English theatre still in use.
[TODAY'S TOP STORIES] from [The Japan Times]
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Health ministry prepares for possible flu alert upgrade
(Kyodo News) Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura on Wednesday ordered the health ministry to make preparations for a possible upgrade of the World Health Organization's pandemic alert for a new strain of influenza to the highest level of 6.
Meeting with Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe at the ministry, Kawamura said, "If the phase is upgraded to 6, Japan has to do everything it can. Japan's crisis management will be put to the test."
He also called on the ministry to continue making all-out efforts to block the entry of the virus into Japan, such as conducting health checks on passengers at airports, and to be fully prepared in the event that a person infected with the new influenza is found in the country.
Japan has yet to be hit by the H1N1 virus. The number of people infected with the flu has exceeded 1,500 in a total of 22 countries and territories around the globe, according to government announcements and media reports.
At Narita airport, many passengers returning to Japan from trips abroad could be seen wearing masks as a precaution against the flu as Wednesday marks the last day of this year's Golden Week holiday period in the country. An estimated 46,000 people arrived at the airport from overseas on Wednesday alone.
"I was worried about the flu when I left Japan (for South Korea), but the only people wearing masks I saw there were Japanese," said Kana Ishii, a 21-year-old college student who had been on a family trip to the neighboring country.
Setsuko Ouchi, 25, said she had reluctantly returned to Japan from Mexico, where she had been studying, at the request of her family who were worried about the large number of people infected in the Latin American country. "There are not many people wearing masks in Mexico," she added.
Namie Sawada, a 38-year-old doctor from Tokyo who returned to Japan from New York, also had something to say about differing perceptions of masks.
"When I was wearing a mask in New York, people looked at me as though they had seen something bizarre," she said. Sawada also said it is important to conduct follow-up studies on people suspected of being infected with the flu, in addition to medical checks on passengers at airports, because the flu has an incubation period.
At a separate meeting the same day, Masuzoe criticized some hospitals for refusing to see patients suffering from fever, even though their risk of being infected with the new influenza is low because they have not been to any of the countries affected by the flu.
"It's against the Medical Practitioners Law. I would like doctors to treat such people as part of their social responsibility," he told a health ministry meeting to deal with the influenza issue.
The number of cases in which Tokyo hospitals had refused to see people with fever totaled 92 from Saturday morning to noon Tuesday, a Tokyo metropolitan government survey showed Tuesday.
If the WHO pandemic alert level is upgraded from 5 at present, the government is expected to hold a meeting of its flu task force headed by Prime Minister Taro Aso, according to Kawamura.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Nagoya man latest in series of new flu scares
(Kyodo News) A man in his 40s from Nagoya emerged Wednesday as having been possibly infected with a new strain of influenza that is feared to be developing into a global pandemic, while six others previously suspected have been confirmed as not infected with the new flu.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said the man tested positive for influenza A in a preliminary test after having a fever while staying in Tokyo. A second test is being conducted by a Tokyo health institution to determine if he has been infected with the H1N1 subtype of influenza A.
Tokushima Prefecture said the results of a second test on a woman who arrived Monday at Kansai airport after a trip to the United States showed that she was not infected with any influenza virus.
Meanwhile, the health ministry said five other people suspected of being infected with influenza A (H1N1) upon arrival in Japan from the United States or Mexico have been confirmed as not infected with the new flu.
The five are a 14-year-old girl from Aichi Prefecture, an elementary schoolgirl from Kyoto City, a woman in her 30s and her child who live in Chicago and are currently staying in Gunma Prefecture, and a girl from Kyoto Prefecture.
They were either found to be infected with type-A Hong Kong flu, group A hemolytic streptococcus or not infected with any influenza virus, according to the ministry.
No cases of the new flu have been confirmed in Japan, although there have been several cases in which patients tested positive for the influenza A virus but the strain was not the same as the new flu.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Over 80% of lawmakers support revising organ transplant law
(Kyodo News) More than 80 percent of lawmakers polled support revising the organ transplant law during the current parliamentary session through June 3 to pave the way for allowing children to receive organ donations domestically, according to a Kyodo News survey released Wednesday.
Kyodo sent questionnaires to all of the 720 upper and lower house members at a time when bills to revise the law are being deliberated at the Diet, of whom 150, or 20 percent, provided valid responses.
Of the supporters of amending the law, accounting for 83 percent of the overall respondents, 72 percent said the minimum age of 15 for brain-dead donors in organ transplants should be eliminated.
As the current law bans children under 15 from becoming donors, many Japanese children who need organ transplants have to travel overseas in search of donors.
The survey also showed less than 50 percent of the lawmakers agree with recognizing brain death as legal death by revising the current law, which accepts brain death only in cases where a person is ready to become a donor. More than 30 percent want to keep the existing rule, indicating rooted resistance to recognizing brain death as legal death without exception.
Several proposals for revising the organ transplant law have been submitted to the Diet, among which a bill to legalize brain death as a rule and to eliminate the minimum age for becoming an organ donor drew 61 percent support among the respondents, according to the Kyodo survey.
The response rate to the survey was only around 20 percent, indicating many lawmakers are still grappling with the issue, which is closely related to religious and other views about life.
During the last 12 years since the current law became effective in 1997, around 100,000 patients have died as they could not receive organ transplants, according to the Japan Society for Transplantation.
[BUSINESS NEWS]
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Panasonic pumps up plasma panel capacity
OSAKA (Kyodo) Panasonic Corp. has jacked up production capacity for plasma TV panels to a record high as domestic demand for flat TVs recovers, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
Panasonic increased monthly output capacity at its two factories in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, to the equivalent of 940,000 42-inch panels, up from 785,000 panels, by streamlining and improving productivity at its lines, they said.
Earlier, Panasonic postponed the launch, originally set for May, of a third plasma TV panel factory it was building in Amagasaki by six months as demand for plasma TVs fell sharply amid the global economic slump.
But the drop in demand also led producers to cut prices, which subsequently stimulated demand, the sources said.
Panasonic raised output after sales of its Viera line started picking up, they said.
The government's "eco-point" benefit system for buying environment-friendly appliances is set to begin May 15 and will likely have a positive effect on flat TV sales, the sources added.
The system is part of the Green New Deal policy aimed at expanding Japan's environment-linked market and creating replacement demand.
Consumers will be able to receive a refund equivalent to 5 percent of the price of energy-saving appliances in the form of points from public funds. The points cannot be cashed in and can only be used to purchase other products.
When the third factory in Amagasaki is launched next January, Panasonic will further increase plasma panel output capacity by 120,000 42-inch panels a month, the sources said.
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