MANILA – The Philippines received on Monday a shipment of 300 metric tons of Japanese rice donated by Japan to be distributed to Typhoon Odette affected families in Cebu, Bohol and Surigao del Norte.

TOKYO – While the Japanese government is easing its strict border restrictions to allow businesspeople, technical interns and students into the country from March 1, it emphasized on Thursday foreign tourists are still not allowed to enter Japan.

MANILA – Less than a week since reopening its borders to international tourism, the Philippines welcomed over 100 tourists from Japan.

TOKYO – The Japanese government’s quasi-emergency measures for 13 prefectures including Tokyo over the novel coronavirus have been extended until March 6 amid a continuous surge in new cases driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.