Bangladesh and Japan have signed the exchange of notes and grant agreements on the project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) worth up to JPY 446 million or around $5 million.

The government of Japan has contributed US$4,545,454 to UN Women programmes to protect the lives and dignity of women and girls, as well as address the challenges they face by COVID -19.   With generous support from the Government of Japan, UN Women will implement its programmes aimed at supporting women and girls facing challenges in the midst of COVID-19 in Asia and the Pacific, Arab States, Eastern and Southern Africa, and Europe and Central Asia.   Women are disproportionately affected by the impact of COVID-19, as more women work in low-paying, insecure and informal jobs, while carrying the bulk of burden on unpaid care work at home, said the UN Women.    As more countries report infections and lockdown measures, domestic violence helplines and shelters across the world are increasingly reporting calls for help.    Confinement at home is fostering the tension and strain created by security, health and money worries.    In addition, this increased isolation for women with violent partners creates a perfect storm for controlling and violent behavior to happen behind closed doors.   “The Government of Japan, which is committed to creating ‘a society in which all women shine,’ has been an important long-standing partner for UN Women,” said Kae Ishikawa, Director of UN Women Japan Liaison Office.    “The Government of Japan has contributed to a number of UN Women programmes and activities around the world to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women.”   “The concept of ‘human security,’ which Japan promotes as one of the critical pillars of its foreign policy, is perfectly in line with the objectives of the UN Women programmes, which aim to protect women and girls affected by the impact of COVID-19 as well as build a resilient society where women play a critical role in decision-making,” Ishikawa said.    “UN Women would also like to acknowledge and thank Japan for being the first donor to announce its financial contribution to UN Women’s initiatives on COVID-19.”   Japan has been a key partner of UN Women since its establishment.    The partnership between UN Women and Japan covers many areas, such as programme implementations in developing countries, conducting policy dialogues, and collaboration around key international conferences on gender equality and the empowerment of women.    UN Women and Japan will continue to strengthen their partnership to generate change in the lives of women and their communities.   Programme overview   Previous experiences show that disease outbreaks and subsequent crises affect women and men differently.    Thus, it is critical to have a gender-responsive approach in creating effective and equitable preventative plans and long-term response interventions for COVID-19, said the UN Women.    In this context, with generous support from the Government of Japan, UN Women will implement prevention and response programmes to COVID-19 in 4 regions, with particular focus on following thematic areas:   Development of research or knowledge products on gender and COVID-19, and provision of technical support on gender analysis.   Evidence-based advocacy and campaigning to inform prevention, mitigation and response policies and plans.   Promotion of protection mechanisms throughout the COVID-19 response, with a focus on access to gender-based violence (GBV) and other relevant services.   Promotion of women’s access to emergency support through cash transfers and livelihood opportunities.   Promotion of leadership roles and participation of women in the response and recovery of COVID-19.     Planned duration of the programmes: from June 2020 to May 2021   Programme budget: Grand total US$4,545,454 （US$1,818,181 for Asia and the Pacific region, US$909,091 for Arab States region, US$909,091 for Eastern and Southern Africa region and US$909,091 for Europe and Central Asia region）    

A task force set up by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday approved a 430 billion yen ($4.1 billion) package that includes support for small to medium-size businesses hit by the coronavirus outbreak, amid criticisms over his handling of the crisis.

The last group of about 130 crew members got off the Diamond Princess on Sunday, vacating the contaminated cruise ship and ending Japan's much criticized quarantine that left more than one fifth of the ship's original population infected with the new virus.

Japan will close schools nationwide to help control the spread of the new virus, the government announced Thursday.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday said the agency will continue to support Japan in safely decommissioning the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The government of Japan has decided to extend approximately US$ 17 million as additional support to Rohingyas and host communities in Cox’s Bazar.

Japanese health officials and experts on a government panel acknowledged Monday that the quarantine of the virus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess was not perfect, but defended Japan's decision to release about 1,000 passengers after 14 days.

Japan's health minister said the last cruise ship passengers who tested negative for a new virus will leave the Diamond Princess on Friday after a much-criticized quarantine of the vessel ended.

Two elderly passengers taken off the Diamond Princess cruise ship because they were infected with a new virus have died, Japan's health ministry said Thursday, becoming the first fatalities from the virus-stricken vessel.