The Japanese government yesterday ended its nationwide state of emergency as COVID-19 cases tail off, and announced a decision on funding for a new aid package to help the battered economy.
Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures, as well as the northern island of Hokkaido, were the last remaining areas under the state of emergency, and the lift came a week ahead of schedule.
Tokyo, with its surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama, has a combined population of about 35 million people and an annual output of ¥182.2 trillion (US$1.7 trillion), which in global terms would make it the world’s 11th-largest economy.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a news conference that reviving the economy was now the top priority, and his government would decide tomorrow on a second extra budget to help people and businesses reeling from the pandemic.
“Every area of the country has met the conditions for ending the emergency, which are extremely strict by global standards,” Abe said. “In Japan’s own way, we have largely brought the infection under control in a month and a half.”
Abe said the combined economic measures to be funded by the first and second extra budgets would total more than ¥200 trillion.
He has already said the latest round of aid would offer more support to companies through loans and rent subsidies, improved income support for furloughed workers and help for university students.
The first extra budget, which came less than a month ago, helped fund a record ¥117 trillion economic rescue plan, equivalent to more than 20 percent of GDP.
Meanwhile, starting today, South Koreans are required to wear masks when using public transportation and taxis nationwide.
South Korean Ministry of Health official Yoon Tae-ho yesterday said that starting tomorrow, masks would also be enforced on all domestic and international flights.
From June, owners of “high-risk” facilities such as bars, clubs, gyms, karaoke rooms and concert halls would be required to use smartphone QR codes to register customers so they can be tracked down more easily when infections occur, he said.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
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