Trump last year skipped an ASEAN summit and parallel East Asia Summit in Bangkok. He instead sent US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, in the lowest-level participation ever by the US in the East Asia Summit. In Japan, major cherry blossom festivals have been canceled due to an outbreak of COVID-19, the latest in a growing list of events quashed as the virus spreads globally. Other cherry blossom events — feverishly anticipated by locals and tourists — are likely to follow suit, local media reported. The organizers of Tokyo’s Nakameguro Cherry Blossom Festival said that people could still enjoy the blooming trees that grow along public roads.
