Japan keen to accelerate remote education amid virus spread

APR 6, 2020

"The government plans to accelerate the introduction of remote education using the internet, learning lessons from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, while local governments are reluctant about the initiative.

At a meeting of the central government's Council on Investments for the Future on Friday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed an intention to move up the current plan of making a laptop or other information terminal available to every student across the country by fiscal 2023 to improve the environment for study at home.

Abe laid out the plan amid growing concerns that emergency school closures in areas with spikes in coronavirus infection cases could continue for an extended period of time. The board of education at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, for example, has decided to extend school closures until May 6, the final day of the Golden Week holiday period.

While the school closures are a headache for teachers and other people related to schools, as well as parents, who are concerned about a decline in children's academic abilities, online education using a videoconference system and other technologies are drawing keen attention. Still, it has yet to gain popularity.

The government has conducted a survey on remote education at elementary, junior high and high schools, with the help of local governments nationwide."

moar:

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/04/06/national/japan-remote-education-coronavirus/

US Forces Japan commander declares public health

emergency for Tokyo-area bases as virus cases surge

BRIEANA BOLFING/U.S. AIR FORCE

By STARS AND STRIPES

Published: April 6, 2020

"YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – The commander of U.S. Forces Japan has declared a public health emergency for U.S. military bases on the Kanto Plain in and around Tokyo.

The declaration, announced Monday afternoon, “ensures commanders possess the necessary authorities to enforce compliance health protection measures among military, civilians, and contractors who live and work on U.S. installations,” a USFJ statement said. The guidance will be in effect until at least May 5."

moar:

https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/us-forces-japan-commander-declares-public-health-emergency-for-tokyo-area-bases-as-virus-cases-surge-1.625010

Trump is killing his own supporters' – even White House

insiders know it

Sun 5 Apr 2020 17.07 EDTLast modified on Sun 5 Apr 2020 17.32 EDT

"A plague is raging and the president is leaving the heartlands and blue-collar voters exposed. This could be the endgame.

On Sunday, initially at least, there was no White House briefing on the president’s public schedule. But the bad news kept coming. Coronavirus deaths continued to climb and reports of the heartland being unprepared for what may be on its horizon continued to ricochet around the media.

In the words of one administration insider, to the Guardian: “The Trump organism is simply collapsing. He’s killing his own supporters.”

Members of the national guard, emergency workers, rank-and-file Americans: all are exposed. Yet Trump appears incapable of emoting anything that comes close to heart-felt concern. Or just providing straight answers.

Rather, he is acting like Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America: repeatedly letting governors know the burden of shoring up their sick, their doctors and their people falls on their shoulders first. The national government? It’s the world’s greatest backstop.

Remember when the Republican party freaked out about Barack Obama and the US “leading from behind” abroad? Remember the howls that evoked from GOP leaders? Those days are gone. Welcome to what Martin O’Malley, a Democratic former governor of Maryland, calls the “Darwinian approach to federalism”."

moar:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/05/trump-is-killing-his-own-supporters-coronavirus-covid-19

boss no kill pepe!

>>8701964

5:5 o7