Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 29
- Business leaders in Japan voiced hope Wednesday that Fumio Kishida, the newly elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will make all-out efforts to return the pandemic-stricken domestic economy to a steady growth track as early as possible.
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People in Japan expressed hope Wednesday that the ruling party's pick of former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida as its new leader and hence the next prime minister will bring strong leadership in leading the nation through the coronavirus pandemic.
- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. said Tuesday it is considering allowing all 320,000 employees of the telecom giant group to work remotely as the norm and abolishing job relocations, in a drastic shake-up of its management style for a post-coronavirus society.
As of 9 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 28
- The Japanese government on Tuesday formally decided to lift the COVID-19 state of emergency covering Tokyo and 18 other prefectures, as well as the quasi-state of emergency in other areas, as infections have declined from their peak.
- U.S. President Joe Biden received his coronavirus vaccine booster shot, after health authorities approved a third shot of Pfizer Inc.'s vaccine for older and higher-risk individuals last week.