Japan Confirms 34 More Swine Flu Cases

Swine flu in Japan has rapidly spread in Osaka and neighboring Hyogo Prefecture, with an additional 34 cases confirmed by Japan’s Health Ministry yesterday.

The ministry said the additional cases appeared in Kobe, Hyogo and Takatsuki, Osaka, bringing the number of cases to 130 late yesterday.

Osaka and Hyogo closed 2,384 schools catering to 1.06 million students to prevent the flu from spreading further. With the new type of flu that first spread among students to affect adults, however, the regional economy is expected to be hit hard.

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ announced around 70 staff at its Kobe branch were working at home after an employee tested positive for the virus.

sya@donga.com