About 2,000 people took part in a bicycle event in Tokyo on Wednesday, with cyclists allowed to cross the iconic Rainbow Bridge for the first time since it opened in 1993.
Participants pedaled in the rain on several different courses of varying distances that also took in other parts of the bayside area, including the Odaiba tourist district.
…continue reading
Japan approves its first homemade oral COVID drug
Nikkei – Nov 23
Japan’s health ministry on Tuesday granted emergency use of a COVID-19 drug developed by Shionogi, making it the country’s first domestically produced oral medicine for patients with mild symptoms. The drug is expected to be available for use in early December.

New banknotes put to the test
TV Asahi – Nov 22
The National Printing Bureau in Tokyo is testing whether supermarket cash registers, vending machines, ATMs, etc. can read new banknotes without problems ahead of issuance in 2024.

Kishida sacks scandal-hit internal affairs minister
Nikkei – Nov 21
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sacked internal affairs minister Minoru Terada on Sunday, as pressure built on the premier to fire him over a funds-related scandal amid falling support ratings for his Cabinet.

97-year-old driver kills woman on sidewalk
Fuji News Network – Nov 20
A 97-year-old man driving a passenger car in Fukushima City on Saturday afternoon hit a woman in her 40s who was walking on the sidewalk before collided into another car, killing the pedestrian and injuring 3 other people.