March 27, Friday, 2020 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Mr. Raja Pradhan

  1. Leaders from the Group of 20 countries have agreed to inject more than 5 trillion dollars into the global economy to counteract the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
  2. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the international community to cooperate in the fight against the virus.
  3. A Japanese woman infected with the coronavirus has told NHK that she lost her sense of taste and smell from the early onset of symptoms.

March 26, Thursday, 2020 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations confirmed on Wednesday that their countries will work together to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
  2. Japan’s foreign minister has raised its travel alert for the entire world to level 2 on a four-level scale due to the global spread of the coronavirus.
  3. The United Nations has called for aid funds that would help countries and regions without proper health care fight the coronavirus.

March 23, Monday, 2020 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Emma Howard

  1. The International Olympic Committee says it will begin discussions on how the Tokyo Games should be handled, including the postponement during the coronavirus pandemic.
  2. Analysists in Japan are predicting a plunge in business confidence due to the coronavirus pandemic when the Bank of Japan releases its tankan survey on April 1st.
  3. The U.S. government says the number of coronavirus cases in the country has topped 30,000.

March 20, Friday, 2020 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Mr. Marcus Pittman

  1. A Japanese government panel of experts has given proposals on nationwide voluntary cancellations and postponements of events to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
  2. Italy’s death toll from the new coronavirus has exceeded that of China and is now the largest in the world.
  3. Friday marks 25 years since the deadly sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system by the Aum Shirikyo cult.

March 19, Thursday, 2020 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. A Japanese government panel of experts will present its latest views on the country’s measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
  2. The International Olympic Committee has called for athletes’ solidarity as it prepares for the Tokyo Games amid the coronavirus pandemic.
  3. The head of the World Health Organization has stressed that isolation, tests and tracing infection routes are key to containing the spread of the new coronavirus.

March 18, Wednesday, 2020 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Eriko Kojima

  1. The International Olympic Committee has affirmed that preparations will continue to hold the Tokyo Olympics as scheduled.
  2. Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have agreed that their nations will cooperate with the other Group of Seven members in responding to the coronavirus outbreak.
  3. The European Union leaders have agreed to impose travel restrictions on most foreign people entering the bloc for 30 days to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

March 17, Tuesday, 2020 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for a united front against the coronavirus pandemic during a video conference with leaders of the Group of Seven.
  2. Tokyo’s benchmark stock index fluctuated on Tuesday morning, reflecting mixed views on the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
  3. U.S. President Donald Trump says the effects of infections of the coronavirus may continue until August.