Japanese electronics makers including Hitachi are using digital technology to let customers know when coronavirus infection risks at restaurants are low.
Hitachi has jointly developed a service with a Tokyo-based building management company. They started the operation on Wednesday at an eatery in Tokyo.
Japan has confirmed nearly 250,000 daily cases of coronavirus infection, a record high.
The country reported 249,830 new infections on Wednesday, with 24 of 47 prefectures marking record highs.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu says Tokyo has conveyed concerns to Beijing about China's plan to start military drills near Taiwan.
China's announcement follows the arrival of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan on Tuesday. Matsuno said on Wednesday that the Japanese government is not in a position to comment on Pelosi's visit.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 38,940 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday.
The daily tally was up more than 9,900 from a week earlier. It was the first time since Sunday that the figure was higher than the previous week.
Japanese weather officials are warning of extremely heavy rainfall in Niigata and Yamagata prefectures along the Sea of Japan.
The Meteorological Agency says a front accompanied by a low pressure system near northern and central Japan has brought more rain than expected to Niigata Prefecture and the Tohoku region.
Japanese health authorities are taking measures to prevent the spread of monkeypox after two people tested positive in late July after entering the country from abroad.
The health ministry on Tuesday approved the use of a smallpox vaccine that is believed to be 85 percent effective against monkeypox.
A self-driving car selling food and drinks is undergoing trials on roads near Tokyo. The aim is to see if the unmanned service provides convenience to communities and helps retailers cope with a labor shortage.
A telecom-services subsidiary of Japanese electronics firm Kyocera has teamed up with major retailer Aeon and the city of Chiba for the project.
A majority of Japan's major power companies have posted losses for the April-to-June period. The red ink was caused by continued high fuel costs on the back of the conflict in Ukraine.
Seven out of 10 power firms booked net losses for the last quarter. Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, reported a group net loss of 67 billion yen, or 500 million dollars.
The ongoing heatwave is gripping wide areas of western through eastern Japan on Wednesday, with the mercury reaching 39 degrees Celsius in some cities near Tokyo. Officials are urging people to take full precautions against heatstroke.
The Meteorological Agency said scorching heat had hit western through eastern Japan.
Weather officials are warning of heavy downpours in northeastern Japan's Aomori and Akita prefectures. They say the risks of life-threatening landslides and floods are rapidly rising.
The Meteorological Agency says that a front accompanied by a low pressure system near northern Japan is making atmospheric conditions unstable in the Tohoku region.
Two of Japan's major trading houses say their stakes in an energy project in Russia's Far East are worth considerably less since Moscow called for Russian companies to take over the project.
The combined asset value of the Japanese investments in Sakhalin-2 has been downgraded by 210 billion yen, or about 1.6 billion dollars.
In Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Angels have decided not to trade Japanese two-way star Ohtani Shohei this season.
The trade deadline was 6 p.m. on Tuesday, US Eastern Time.
A rapid surge in new cases of coronavirus infections is piling pressure on medical facilities and workers. Experts are calling for policy changes to help reduce this burden.
The Tokyo Fire Department says nearly 700 people with the virus were transported to hospitals by ambulance during the week through Sunday.
Local authorities have approved the construction of facilities used to release treated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean.
The governor of Fukushima Prefecture, Uchibori Masao, and the mayors of the two municipalities hosting the plant, Okuma and Futaba towns, met with Tokyo Electric Power Company President Kobayakawa Tomoaki on Tuesday.