<div dir="ltr">It looks more and more possible we will have a July basho...I hope!<br>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Best regards,<div>Jeffrey Anderson</div><div>Gaijingai - Foreign Ruler of the Dohyo.</div><div><br></div><div>For of all sad words of tongue or pen,</div><div>The saddest are these:</div><div>It might have been.</div><div>- John Greenleaf Whittier</div><div><br></div><div><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike announced Friday that phase two of the capital’s three-part plan to peel back coronavirus countermeasures will begin on Monday.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">A day earlier, the Osaka Prefectural Government said it would start lifting all remaining business closure requests on Monday — giving the green light to clubs, gyms, bars and other facilities that had been struck by cluster infections.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)"></p><div class="gmail-jt_content_ad" id="gmail-div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0" style="margin:0px 0px 20px 10px;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;float:right;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;font-size:16px;background-color:rgb(251,251,251)"></div><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">Municipal leaders say new cases of the novel coronavirus will be closely monitored as the country’s largest cities continue to emerge from the state of emergency declared April 7 by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who lifted the order in all prefectures on Monday.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">The brisk pace and disjointed manner in which these orders are being lifted in different parts of the country, however, are drawing criticism and concern.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">Under Tokyo’s plan, social distancing and business closure requests will be peeled back in three phases to reopen society and reboot the capital’s economy while taking precautionary measures to prevent a second wave of infections.</p><div class="gmail-content-related-stories" style="margin:28px 0px;padding:23px 0px;box-sizing:border-box;border-top:4px solid rgb(234,233,224);border-bottom:4px solid rgb(234,233,224);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;font-size:16px;background-color:rgb(251,251,251)"><h3 style="margin:0px 0px 1.25em;padding:0px 8px;box-sizing:border-box;text-transform:inherit;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,serif;font-size:1.375rem;line-height:14.4px;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">RELATED STORIES</h3><ul style="margin:1.25em 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 1.375em;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.1875rem;list-style-type:none"><li style="margin:0px 0px 0.3125em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(255,92,26)"><a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/29/national/tokyo-hospital-second-wave/" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(0,153,204)">Tokyo hospital faces group infections as Japan fears second coronavirus wave</a></li><li style="margin:0px 0px 0.3125em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(255,92,26)"><a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/29/national/tokyo-tally-for-friday/" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(0,153,204)">Tokyo records 22 new coronavirus cases</a></li><li style="margin:0px 0px 0.3125em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(255,92,26)"><a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/29/national/blue-impulse-tokyo-medical-tribute/" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(0,153,204)">Blue Impulse flies over Tokyo to thank medical staff in coronavirus battle</a></li></ul></div><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">Tokyo, one of the last prefectures to be cleared, will enter phase two on Monday, Koike said at a meeting Friday of the metropolitan government’s coronavirus task force.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">“As we move closer to reopening the city, now is when the risk of a second wave is at its highest,” Koike said Friday. “We need to prioritize both the local economy and the well-being of residents.”</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">In phase one, Tokyo urged museums, libraries and other cultural institutions to reopen while eating establishments were urged to close at 10 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. In phase two, movie theaters, gyms and entertainment venues will be urged to reopen.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">On Thursday, before the governor’s remarks, a hospital in western Tokyo reported nine coronavirus infections, bringing the capital’s daily total to 15 — the third day in a row more than 10 cases have been reported since the state of emergency was lifted.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">According to the metropolitan government, Tokyo’s daily average over the past two weeks is nine, up 7 percent from the previous week. About 54 percent of the cases were untraceable.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has asked the health ministry to send a response team to investigate infections at Musashino Central Hospital in the western suburb of Koganei.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">Earlier this week, the ministry dispatched a response team to Kitakyushu after the city saw infections suddenly emerge after three weeks with none.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">As of Thursday, Japan had reported nearly 16,500 infections and about 860 deaths. Tokyo accounts for more than 5,000 of the cases and nearly 300 of the deaths. Osaka has reported about 1,700 cases and 80 deaths.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">Tokyo and Osaka account for most of the infections, followed by Kanagawa, Hokkaido and Saitama.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">The Osaka Prefectural Government announced Thursday that voluntary business closure requests for facilities where cluster infections occurred will be lifted Monday, removing all such requests in the prefecture since the governor declared the state of emergency there over on May 21.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">But other countermeasures remain in place in Osaka, including, among other things, a request for those attending concerts to stay seated while listening to performances.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">At a news conference, Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said its better for businesses to “operate while taking cautionary measures than to close for long periods of time and risk bankruptcy.”</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">Osaka and Tokyo will monitor new and untraceable cases and reimpose countermeasures if and when their governors believe it’s necessary.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">In Osaka, facilities looking to reopen are compelled to maintain customer lists and adopt a system developed by the prefectural government to track the infected via QR codes, among several other countermeasures. Business closure requests will be made again if clusters emerge.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">In Tokyo, the metropolitan government will monitor the number of hospitalized patients and the infection rate among those who have received polymerase chain reaction tests. They will also keep an eye on the number of calls and consultations received by coronavirus hotlines.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">If daily infections in Tokyo exceed 50, more than half are untraceable or new cases have doubled since the previous week, Koike said she will strongly consider reinstating emergency measures.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)">Koike said these criteria will be monitored over a two-week period. Questions were raised when Tokyo announced the capital would increase measures to reopen just five days after the emergency was lifted.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.9375em;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:utopia-std,Georgia,"Hiragino Mincho Pro","Hiragino Mincho",serif;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(251,251,251)"><em style="margin:0px;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box">Information from Kyodo and Jiji added</em></p></div></div></div></div>