Japan Fights COVID-19 in Luxurious Style With Million-Yen Masks

 A luxury face mask decorated with a 0.70-carat diamond,
platinum and Swarovski crystals which is selling for one million yen
($9,640), is displayed at Mask.com, a face-mask specialty shop
operated by Cox Co., amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak,
in Tokyo, Japan, on November 25, 2020. (REUTERS/Issei Kato).
A luxury face mask decorated with a 0.70-carat diamond, platinum and Swarovski crystals which is selling for one million yen ($9,640), is displayed at Mask.com, a face-mask specialty shop operated by Cox Co., amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, on November 25, 2020. (REUTERS/Issei Kato).
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Japan Fights COVID-19 in Luxurious Style With Million-Yen Masks

 A luxury face mask decorated with a 0.70-carat diamond,
platinum and Swarovski crystals which is selling for one million yen
($9,640), is displayed at Mask.com, a face-mask specialty shop
operated by Cox Co., amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak,
in Tokyo, Japan, on November 25, 2020. (REUTERS/Issei Kato).
A luxury face mask decorated with a 0.70-carat diamond, platinum and Swarovski crystals which is selling for one million yen ($9,640), is displayed at Mask.com, a face-mask specialty shop operated by Cox Co., amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, on November 25, 2020. (REUTERS/Issei Kato).

Japanese trend-setters can now protect against the coronavirus in luxurious style with opulent masks adorned with diamonds and pearls for a cool million yen ($9,600) each.

Cox Co’s Mask.com chain began selling the hand-made masks last week, with the aim of cheering up people and spurring sales in a fashion industry depressed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The diamond masks are embellished with a 0.7 carat diamond and more than 300 pieces of Swarovski crystal, while the pearl masks contain some 330 Japanese Akoya pearls.

“Everyone is feeling down because of the coronavirus and it would be great if they could feel better by looking at one of these glittering masks,” Azusa Kajitaka, a mask concierge at the company’s store near Tokyo station, told Reuters on Wednesday.

“The jewellery and fabric industries have also been in a slump because of the coronavirus and so we did this as part of a project to help revitalize Japan,” she added.

Cox, part of retailing group Aeon Co, has opened Mask.com online and in six physical locations since September, offering more than 200 types of masks starting at 500 yen.

Some visitors to the store on Wednesday were concerned the million-yen masks might be out of their league.

“If I wear one of these face masks, I have to wear suitable fashion to match it. So I think it’s a bit embarrassing (to dress up),” said 66-year-old Mitsue Kaneko.

The Japanese masks are still far from the world’s most expensive. That honor belongs to a $1.5 million mask made with 250 g



Australia Begins Euthanizing False Killer Whales after Mass Stranding

A undated handout photo made available by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) on 19 February 2025 shows a person assisting a group of whales after they were stranded near Arthur River on Tasmania's west coast, Australia. EPA/DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
A undated handout photo made available by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) on 19 February 2025 shows a person assisting a group of whales after they were stranded near Arthur River on Tasmania's west coast, Australia. EPA/DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
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Australia Begins Euthanizing False Killer Whales after Mass Stranding

A undated handout photo made available by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) on 19 February 2025 shows a person assisting a group of whales after they were stranded near Arthur River on Tasmania's west coast, Australia. EPA/DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
A undated handout photo made available by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) on 19 February 2025 shows a person assisting a group of whales after they were stranded near Arthur River on Tasmania's west coast, Australia. EPA/DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

Dozens of false killer whales stranded on a remote beach in the Australian state of Tasmania will be euthanized after bad weather and the isolated location hampered efforts to push them back into the waters, Australian authorities said on Thursday.
More than 150 endangered dolphins, known commonly as false killer whales due to their resemblance to killer whales, were found stranded this week in the island state's northwest coast near Arthur River, about 400 km (250 miles) from Tasmania's state capital, Hobart.
"The conditions that the team faced yesterday in attempts to refloat the whales proved very challenging and in fact, dangerous to our staff," Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service Brendon Clark said in a media briefing.
A total of 27 animals were euthanised on Thursday morning while 38 were still alive, Reuters quoted Clark as saying.
The euthanasia process is expected to finish later on Thursday.
Officials have said the stranding response would be complex due to the inaccessibility of the site, ocean conditions and the challenges of getting specialist equipment to the remote area.
The animals can grow up to 20 feet (6.1 m) long and weigh up to 3,000 lbs (1,361 kg). They are found in all tropical and subtropical oceans, generally in deep offshore waters, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.