Researchers in Japan say the BA.5 subvariant of the coronavirus Omicron variant may be more pathogenic, or more likely to cause disease.
A team called G2P-Japan led by Professor Sato Kei of the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo reported their findings in a preprint of an article released online.
A Japanese government panel of experts has discussed emergency proposals for coping with a seventh wave of coronavirus infections.
The panel on Thursday discussed measures to avoid putting a strain on the country's healthcare system, as the spread of the Omicron subvariant BA.5 leads to more people getting hospitalized or seriously ill.
NHK has learned that the suspect in the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has admitted to making gunpowder for the attack.
Abe was shot last Friday while making a campaign speech in Nara City, western Japan. The suspect, 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, was arrested on the spot.
A firearms expert suggests that the homemade gun used in the fatal shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo may have been as lethal as an ordinary shotgun.
Abe was shot while making a campaign speech on Friday. The suspect, 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, was arrested on the spot.
Investigators in the killing of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe say the suspect had wanted to attack a religious group leader.
Abe was shot while he was making a campaign speech on Friday in Nara City, western Japan. The suspect, 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, was arrested on the spot.
Japanese police believe the handmade gun used by the suspect in last week's fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo was powerful enough to leave marks on a building about 90 meters away.
Abe was shot while making a campaign speech on Friday in Nara City, western Japan. The suspect, 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, was arrested on the spot.
The Tokyo District Court has ordered four former directors of Tokyo Electric Power Company to pay about 97 billion dollars in damages to the utility.
The shareholders claimed the company incurred massive losses from the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The Japanese government is considering offering free coronavirus testing and allowing medical workers to receive a fourth dose of vaccines amid a nationwide resurgence of COVID-19. But it says there is no need at present to introduce restrictions on people's movements.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported the number of new coronavirus cases at more than 16,000 on Wednesday, exceeding 10,000 for two days in row. On Tuesday, 12 prefectures in western Japan reported a record number of daily cases, and the nationwide total topped 70,000 for the first time in four months.
Weather officials are calling on people to remain vigilant after downpours caused landslides and flooding in parts of Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says that in the town of Hatoyama in the prefecture, a record 360 millimeters of rain in total fell in the six hours through 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night.
Plaintiffs reported to supporters their victory in a lawsuit claiming the Tokyo Electric Power Company incurred massive losses from the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
On Wednesday, the Tokyo District Court ordered four former TEPCO executives to pay about 97 billion dollars in damages to the utility.
A district court in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, has dismissed a damages lawsuit filed by relatives of victims of the eruption of Mount Ontake eight years ago.
The volcanic mountain straddling Nagano and Gifu prefectures erupted in September 2014, leaving 63 people dead or missing.
Japan has confirmed its first case of a new Omicron coronavirus subvariant outside of quarantine stations.
Officials in Kobe City, western Japan, say a local woman in her 40s tested positive for the coronavirus on June 24. She had visited a medical institution after developing symptoms such as coughing and fever.
A Tokyo court has ruled that former managers of Tokyo Electric Power Company must pay damages to the utility, as demanded by its shareholders.
The shareholders claimed the company incurred massive losses from the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Weather officials are calling for continued caution after torrential rains triggered landslides and flooding in some parts of Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says some areas in the prefecture had around 100 millimeters of rain per hour on Tuesday night. It issued information on record hourly rainfall within the prefecture nine times.