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A30 world news
Diasabra 31 OctOber 2020

Japan crosses 100,000 cases, Protest outside Japan's

9 months after 1st Mitsubishi over wartime

forced labor
source of personal protective
equipment such as masks and
body suits, some of which
have been found to be coun-
terfeit or of inferior quality.

— India reported 48,648 new
coronavirus cases, continu-
ing a monthlong slowing
trend in infections even as
the country adds to its 8 mil-
lion cases. The Health Min-
istry also reported 563 more
fatalities in the past 24 hours, (AP) — About a dozen people protested outside
raising the confirmed death the headquarters of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in
toll to 121,090. Even as cas- Tokyo on Friday, demanding Japanese companies
es are dropping nationwide, pay compensation for their wartime abuse of Ko-
New Delhi is facing what rean laborers.
could be a third wave of in-
fections. The capital is India’s The protesters called on the companies to accept South
(AP) — Japan’s corona- raised its warning level after worst-hit city and is among Korean Supreme Court rulings that severely strained re-
virus cases have topped finding major clusters in ur- the few regions in the coun- lations between the two neighbors. The court on Oct. 30,
100,000, nine months after ban entertainment districts. try seeing further new infec- 2018, ordered Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. to
the first case was found in tions, clocking more than compensate four plaintiffs for their wartime forced labor
mid-January, the health Experts on Thursday also 5,000 daily in the last three at the company.
ministry said Friday. urged caution in Tokyo, days. The surge comes while
where the daily count has seasonal pollution levels are The court a month later made a similar ruling on Mit-
The country confirmed fluctuated between the 100s soaring in the capital, wors- subishi Heavy Industries, deepening tensions between
808 new cases on Thursday, and 200s. ening respiratory illnesses. the two countries. South Korea's bitter memories of Jap-
bringing the cumulative CO- anese actions during its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the
VID-19 cases to 100,334, in- In other developments in — Sri Lankan authorities Korean Peninsula and compensation issues have been a
cluding 712 people who were the Asia-Pacific region: have asked state employees to recurring strain on bilateral ties.
on a cruise ship that was — Customs agents in the resume working from home
docked off a Japanese port southern Chinese city of in major townships as coro- Friday's protest was organized by three Japanese civic
earlier this year. Hong Kong have seized navirus infections continue groups supporting the Korean plaintiffs and seeking set-
100,000 counterfeit face to surge. The president’s tlements of other wartime abuses.
About one-third of the cases masks and arrested one per- office says government of-
come from Tokyo, where 221 son. The masks were set to fices in Western province, Standing outside the Mitsubishi headquarters, the pro-
cases were confirmed Thurs- be shipped overseas and had where the recent outbreaks testers held up a sign saying “Nippon Steel and Mitsubi-
day, bringing the prefectural a market value of almost have been concentrated, shi comply with the Supreme Court rulings."
total to 30,677, including 453 $400,000, the government’s have been asked to switch
deaths. Nationwide, Japan Information Services Depart- to remote work as well. Sri Japan maintains that all wartime compensation issues
has more than 1,700 deaths. ment said Friday. The masks Lanka had lifted work-from- were settled by a 1965 treaty and that the South Korean
were seized at a storehouse in home measures when com- rulings violate international law. Japanese courts have
Experts say Japan has so far Hong Kong on Wednesday munity infections subsided. also rejected compensation demands by South Korean
managed to avoid “explo- after agents received a tipoff, But clusters emerging from plaintiffs.
sive” infections as in Europe the department said, leading a garment factory earlier this
and the U.S. without enforc- to a further raid on a trading month and later from the Mitsubishi and Nippon Steel have said they were coop-
ing lockdowns, most likely company where a 71-year- country’s main wholesale erating with the Japanese government.
thanks to the common use of old manager was arrested. fish market have resulted in a Historians say Japan used about 220,000 wartime Korean
face masks and disinfectant, surge in infections and sub- forced laborers. Japan says not all were forced laborers.
as well as other common pre- “Initial investigations re- sequent restrictions.
ventive measures including vealed that unscrupulous Japan acknowledged its wartime aggression and apolo-
social distancing. merchants intended to trans- Authorities also announced gized to Asian victims in 1995, but later significantly
ship the batch of masks over- Friday that they have closed a backpedaled under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s
Japan had a nationwide state seas for sale and profit. resort town known as “little nationalistic government that lasted nearly eight years.
of emergency in April and England” in the country’s
May, and experienced a less Customs is looking into the central hills to visitors. Nu- The dispute spilled over into trade and military issues,
serious second wave in Au- source of the face masks in- wara Eliya, about 170 kilo- complicating cooperation between the two American al-
gust, but has since been see- volved in the case. Samples meters(105 miles) east of lies.
ing a slight uptrend in new have also been sent to a Colombo, is in a tea-growing
cases in northern prefectures, laboratory for safety test- mountain region and is a fa- Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who replaced Abe after
setting off concerns of a surge ing,” the department said in mous tourist destination. he stepped down due to health issues in mid-September,
in the winter. a statement. Customs agents M.B.R. Pushpa Kumara, the has said Japan's position on compensation is unchanged
launched an operation across top government official in and that Seoul should take appropriate actions to restore
Experts have urged extra cau- the city in late January in- Nuwara Eliya, said the vi- “healthy” relations.
tion at dining and drinking volving spot checks on com- rus is spreading rapidly in
parties and workplaces. Ac- mon protective items such as the area and all tourist at-
cording to health ministry face masks, resulting in 80 ar- tractions including botanical
data, nearly half of the new rests and the seizure of nearly gardens, national parks and
patients were in their 20s and 6 million masks, along with waterfalls have been closed.
30s. other items, the department So far, 9,791 COVID-19 pa-
said. tients have been reported in
Japan’s northernmost prefec- the island nation, including
ture of Hokkaido this week Mainland China is a major 19 deaths.