BEIJING -- Japan's visa service in China has resumed normal operations, according to the website of the Japanese Embassy in China.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the visa service at the Japanese Embassy in China was temporarily reduced for a period of time. It has now returned to normal in line with changes in the pandemic situation, according to a release posted on the website Friday. (Japan-Visa Service-China)

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LOS ANGELES -- The Lunar New Year celebration kicked off Friday at Disney California Adventure Park, ushering in a joyous tribute to Chinese and other Asian cultures.

Disneyland, home to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, has seen its annual Lunar New Year celebration explode in popularity in recent years. Filled with auspicious wishes for health, luck and prosperity throughout the new year, the celebration will last through Feb. 15 this year. (U.S.-Disney-Lunar New Year)

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TOKYO -- The average number of flu patients per medical institution in Japan in the week through Sunday came to 7.37, signaling the beginning of an epidemic, a health ministry survey said.

About 5,000 medical institutions in all of Japan's 47 prefectures reported 36,388 cases of seasonal flu during the seven-day period, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said Friday. (Japan-Seasonal Flu-Surge)

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Alphabet, the parent company of search giant Google, announced on Friday mass layoffs of 12,000 roles, about 6 percent of its workforce globally.

"Over the past two years, we've seen periods of dramatic growth. To match and fuel that growth, we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today," its CEO Sundar Pichai wrote to employees in a note. He apologized and said he took responsibility for the decision's impact on the people involved. (US-Alphabet-Google-Layoffs)