By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a state of emergency in large parts of the country on Thursday but said it would remain in place in Tokyo until the novel coronavirus is contained.Abe lifted the emergency in 39 of Japan’s 47 prefectures but left it in force in the capital and in the second-largest urban area of Osaka, as he tries to cushion the economic blow while stopping the virus.Abe said he would begin work on a second extra budget and as part of the economic stimulus, the government would take more steps to ease corporate funding strains, if...…By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a state of emergency in large parts of the country on Thursday but said it would remain in place in Tokyo until the novel coronavirus is contained.Abe lifted the emergency in 39 of Japan’s 47 prefectures but left it in force in the capital and in the second-largest urban area of Osaka, as he tries to cushion the economic blow while stopping the virus.Abe said he would begin work on a second extra budget and as part of the economic stimulus, the government would take more steps to ease corporate funding strains, if...WW…

By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan may effectively shut off China from supplying drones to its government to protect sensitive information, according to six people in government and the ruling party familiar with the matter, as part of a broad effort to bolster national security.The primary concerns, those people said, centred on information technology, supply chains, cyber security and intellectual property - worries that have been rising outside Japan as well.But Japan must balance such fears - particularly Beijing’s growing push to export sensitive technologies such as commercial drones and...…By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan may effectively shut off China from supplying drones to its government to protect sensitive information, according to six people in government and the ruling party familiar with the matter, as part of a broad effort to bolster national security.The primary concerns, those people said, centred on information technology, supply chains, cyber security and intellectual property - worries that have been rising outside Japan as well.But Japan must balance such fears - particularly Beijing’s growing push to export sensitive technologies such as commercial drones and...WW…

By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Nearly 50 out of over 600 crew members on an Italian cruise ship docked for repairs in Japan’s Nagasaki have tested positive for the coronavirus, raising concern about the strain on the city’s hospitals if conditions worsen for those infected.So far, 127 people have been tested, and the infection rate is 38 percent.The latest tests showed on Thursday that 14 people aboard, all either cooks or those serving food, were infected with the virus, an official in Nagasaki prefecture said. One patient who had been taken to hospital previously was now in serious condition and...…By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Nearly 50 out of over 600 crew members on an Italian cruise ship docked for repairs in Japan’s Nagasaki have tested positive for the coronavirus, raising concern about the strain on the city’s hospitals if conditions worsen for those infected.So far, 127 people have been tested, and the infection rate is 38 percent.The latest tests showed on Thursday that 14 people aboard, all either cooks or those serving food, were infected with the virus, an official in Nagasaki prefecture said. One patient who had been taken to hospital previously was now in serious condition and...WW…