Japan is the only G7 member denying entry to long-term and permanent residents and has set no clear criteria for their return. Japan Times staff writer Magdalena Osumi joins to discuss. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.

Foreign residents stranded abroad by Japan's coronavirus controls (Magdalena Osumi, The Japan Times)

Japan's re-entry ban list (The Japan Times)

Japan to expand entry ban to visitors from India and 10 other nations (Kyodo)

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In the U.S., the Asian giant hornet recently made its way into the headlines after it was recorded as an invasive species in the Pacific northwest region. Just this month, the New York Times dubbed them “murder” hornets. Matt Alt joins to discuss how a simple translation error might have given the hornet its new macabre nickname. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.

Matt Alt is a Tokyo-based writer, translator and NHK presenter and author of the soon to be published book "Pure Invention: How Japan’s Pop Culture Conquered the World."

Do "murder hornets" really exist? (Matt Alt, The New Yorker)

"Murder Hornets" in the U.S.: The rush to stop the Asian giant hornet (Mike Baker, The New York Times)

In Japan, the "murder hornet" is both a lethal threat and a tasty treat (Ben Dooley, The New York Times)

Stung by a giant hornet (Brave Wilderness, YouTube)

Bug experts dismiss worry about U.S. "murder hornets" as hype (AP, The Japan Times)

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Picture via Wikimedia Commons

The Japan Times' Ryusei Takahashi tells us how recovering COVID-19 patients' lives have changed after those patients have been discharged. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.

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Loss, stigma, guilt: Life after recovering from COVID-19 in Japan (Ryusei Takahashi, The Japan Times)

Japan to lift coronavirus state of emergency in 39 prefectures (Satoshi Sugiyama, The Japan Times)

Japanese government, criticized for low testing rates, eases guidelines for seeking virus tests (The Japan Times)

Are Tokyo's hospitals and health care system ready for a COVID-19 storm? (Ryusei Takahashi, The Japan Times)

A dispatch from the heart of Japan’s coronavirus epidemic (Ryusei Takahashi, The Japan Times)

Japan and its policymakers search for light at end of COVID-19 tunnel (Ryusei Takahashi, The Japan Times)

Virus exacerbates challenges for people in Japan with disabilities (Magdalena Osumi, The Japan Times)

Japan approves coronavirus testing kits that provide faster results (The Japan Times)

Japan to OK coronavirus PCR tests using saliva as early as this month (The Japan Times)

Photo by Kyodo

Newspick's Yuzuha Oka and The Japan Times' Chris Russell, Joel Tansey and Oscar Boyd discuss all things convenience store.

Special theme music by composer Ben Wong, follow him on Soundcloud.

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With everyone spending more time indoors than ever before, we've just made all of The Japan Times' delicious, seasonal recipes free to read to. Find them all at jtimes.jp/kitchen.

Foreign-born clerks are becoming a familiar sight at convenience stores nationwide, but is Japan ready to welcome them? (Andrew McKirdy, The Japan Times)

Vegan Store: Japan's first vegan convenience store (Jane Kitagawa, The Japan Times)

2010s: The decade Japanese food took over the world (Patrick St. Michel The Japan Times)

Konbini Watch (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times)

Japan's convenience store owners face tough choices in pandemic (The Japan Times)

Lawson shows off experimental automated convenience store (The Japan Times)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a monthlong state of emergency on April 7, giving his government and prefectural governments more powers to tackle the spread of COVID-19. Japan Times politics reporter Satoshi Sugiyama joins to discuss.

Also, Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki on what she learned about isolation from her time aboard the International Space Station. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.

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Photo by Oscar Boyd

In this episode Joe recounts his experience of being tested in Tokyo's SDF military hospital in Setagaya, including the notorious PCR test that goes up your nose. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.

Visit The JT's dedicated COVID-19 site for all the latest updates on the coronavirus situation from around Japan: http://jtimes.jp/covid19

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Read more:

Running out of beds and gear, Tokyo medical staff say Japan's 'state of emergency' already here (Reuters)

Japan state of emergency to cover Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures (Satoshi Sugiyama & Eric Johnston, The Japan Times)

What changes under Japan's state of emergency declaration? (Eric Johnston, The Japan Times) 

Tokyo governor asks residents to self-isolate until May 6 as virus spreads (Ryusei Takahashi, The Japan Times)

Mild virus patients moved to hotel as Tokyo prepares for emergency (Ryusei Takahashi, The Japan Times)

Japan Times entertainment writer Patrick St. Michel discusses Shimura's life and death, and whether it will change the discussion around coronavirus in Japan. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.

Visit The JT's dedicated COVID-19 site for all the latest updates on the coronavirus situation from around Japan: http://jtimes.jp/covid19

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• Ken Shimura’s entertainment legacy spans generations (Patrick St. Michel)

• Popular comedian Ken Shimura first Japanese celebrity to die from COVID-19 (Kyodo, The Japan Times)

• Comedian Ken Shimura tests positive for COVID-19 (Kyodo, The Japan Times)

Photo by Kyodo

Staff writer Ryusei Takahashi on what we know about the postponement of the Olympics so far. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.

Visit The JT's dedicated COVID-19 site for all the latest updates on the coronavirus situation from around Japan: http://jtimes.jp/covid19

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More: 

Japan makes history by putting Tokyo 2020 on hold in favor of 'recovery Olympics' next summer (Ryusei Takahashi and Dan Orlowitz, The Japan Times)

Tokyo begins Olympic task of reorganizing 2020 Games (The Japan Times)

In Japan, disappointment but understanding over postponed Olympics (The Japan Times)

Photo: BeerTengoku via r/Japan

To see how difficult it is to live a life without it, JT staff writer Andrew McKirdy spent a week trying to avoid single-use plastic. Also on this episode, Mona Neuhauss of No Plastic Japan. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.

Visit The JT's dedicated COVID-19 site for all the latest updates on the coronavirus situation from around Japan: http://jtimes.jp/covid19

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• Redefining Japan's energy needs (Alex Martin)

• Tackling climate issues is key to the next decade (Masami Ito)

• Emergency on Japan's lucky island (Jesse Chase-Lubitz and Oscar Boyd)

• Throwaway society: Rejecting a life consumed by plastic (Andrew McKirdy)

• Stores in Japan Environment Ministry building to stop handing out plastic bags (Tomohiro Osaka, The Japan Times)

• Minimum ¥1 fee for plastic bags to kick in weeks before Tokyo Olympics (The Japan Times/JiJi)

• 77% in Japan support fees for plastic shopping bags (The Japan Times/Jiji)

The Japan Times' Ryusei Takahashi, Jason Coskrey and Dan Orlowitz discuss. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.

Visit The JT's dedicated COVID-19 site for all the latest updates on the coronavirus situation from around Japan: http://jtimes.jp/covid19

Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be notified every time a new episode comes out: jtimes.jp/deepdivesub. 

• Tokyo Olympics will most likely go ahead as planned, but coronavirus could still damage attendance (Ryusei Takahashi, The Japan Times)

• In Tokyo, a growing sense of angst over possible virus-hit Olympics (Reuters/The Japan Times)

• Delay of 1-2 years realistic if virus rules out 2020 Games, says Tokyo Olympic exec (Reuters, Bloomberg/The Japan Times)

• J. League fans make best of virus-induced sabbatical (Dan Orlowitz, The Japan Times)

• Organizers manage to hold sport climbing test event without athletes

(Jason Coskrey, The Japan Times)

• Spring Basho to be held behind closed doors for first time ever due to coronavirus (The Japan Times)

Photo by AP