Pandemic

The National Police Agency (NPA) of Japan published statistics on Thursday showing that the country experienced an increase in criminal activity in 2022 for the first time in 20 years. The report tracked the number of police reports on documented crimes in addition to arrests. Among the crimes identified as seeing a significant rise in frequency were rape, child abuse, and street crimes, such as muggings and bicycle thefts. The rates of domestic violence and child abuse hit “all-time highs,” according to a report by the Indian news site First Post. Police also referred a record number of children to consultation centers after finding evidence of abuse. The increase follows a dramatic drop in crime following the eruption of the coronavirus pandemic originating in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Japan shut its schools in February 2020 and sternly encouraged mask usage and “social distancing.” Relatively lax, compared to other parts of the world, government coronavirus restrictions … [Read more...] about Post-Pandemic Japan Sees First-in-a-Generation Crime Spike

The city of Tucson can seem like a small town but it has a vibrant community. And while there are many locals who love this city, there are also many people who flock into town for annual events like the Tucson Gem Show, the Tucson Rodeo and the Tucson Jazz Festival. Each of these events have their unique characteristics and qualities that bring in people from all over to the city of Tucson to explore and enjoy what the events have to offer to their guests. The COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on a lot of these annual events. There was not a single event that was not affected by the pandemic. Some events had the chance to rebound in 2022, but this year will be the year to expect the events to return to their full glory. One event making a full comeback after the pandemic is the Tucson Gem Show, which according to visittucson.org is “the largest, oldest, and most prestigious gem and mineral show in the world.” The 2021 Gem Show was unfortunately canceled, but in 2022 it was able to … [Read more...] about Tourism in Tucson rebounds after pandemic

The N.B.A. planned for each of its 30 teams to play 72 games across 145 days this season, its 75th. Despite a rash of postponements and injuries to big-name stars , all 1,080 games were played in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic. No one in the league office is celebrating yet. “We knew it was going to be a challenge to get through all of the games in a way that we thought kept people safe, and we’re really happy to have done that,” said David Weiss, the N.B.A.’s senior vice president of player matters. “At the same time, the virus keeps changing, so what we have to do keeps changing.” “No one knows everything about Covid,” Weiss added, “and so we’re always willing to revisit what we do.” With the playoffs underway, here are answers to some of the questions about where things stand with the N.B.A.’s health and safety rules related to the coronavirus . Here’s what you need to know: How did the season go without a bubble? What will happen if a player … [Read more...] about The N.B.A. vs. the Coronavirus May Be the Toughest Playoff Matchup

Bill Chan had never set foot anywhere in Mexico, let alone the lonely stretch of desert in the north of the country where he abruptly decided to build a $300 million factory. But that seemed a trifling detail amid the pressure to adapt to a swiftly changing global economy. It was January 2022, and Mr. Chan’s company, Man Wah Furniture Manufacturing, was confronting grave challenges in moving sofas from its factories in China to customers in the United States. Shipping prices were skyrocketing. Washington and Beijing were locked in a fierce trade war. Man Wah, one of China’s largest furniture companies, was eager to make its products on the North American side of the Pacific. “Our main market is the United States,” said Mr. Chan, chief executive of Man Wah’s Mexico subsidiary. “We don’t want to lose that market.” That same objective explains why scores of major Chinese companies are investing aggressively in Mexico, taking advantage of an expansive North American trade … [Read more...] about Why Chinese Companies Are Investing Billions in Mexico

A surge in job growth in January provided President Biden a lift just hours before he traveled to Philadelphia to deliver a speech on his economic vision for the United States. Employers added 517,000 jobs in January, the Labor Department said on Friday, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.4 percent, the lowest since 1969. In remarks at the White House, Mr. Biden hailed the news as evidence that his policies have succeeded despite months of inflation that has caused economic pain for many people and sparked fears of a recession. “For the past two years, we’ve heard a chorus of critics write off my economic plan,” Mr. Biden said. “Well, today’s data makes crystal clear. What I’ve always known in my gut is critics and cynics are wrong.” Mr. Biden has for months pointed to job growth as evidence that his agenda has rebuilt the economy after the coronavirus pandemic shuttered much of the United States. Ahead of a likely re-election announcement, he has amplified that … [Read more...] about January Job Growth Is a Boost for Biden

On a cold Tuesday afternoon in January, four women made their way down Guernsey Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. They had just finished lunch at Acre , a Japanese cafe and shop, where they had been served bento boxes and green tea, and were headed to 50 Norman , a new warehouse space nearby that housed three other Japanese businesses. The women, all Japanese immigrants, had driven in from New Jersey, at the advice of their friend, Chieko Koie, who had already dined at Acre and was interested in visiting the warehouse after seeing it on Instagram. The group’s first stop at 50 Norman was Dashi Okume , which sells dashi, a soup base typically made from ingredients like dried fish, seaweed and mushrooms. The business, which opened in Tokyo in 1871, offers various ready-made dashi powder blends, as well as bins of dried ingredients for customers to make their own. “For Japanese people, dashi is really important for making food,” Ms. Koie said. “It’s like a piece of home here in … [Read more...] about Sake. Dashi. Soba Shops: Japanese Chic Takes Root in Brooklyn