Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says it is unlikely that imports of liquefied natural-gas from Russia will stop immediately.
Kishida made the remarks after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday to replace the Sakhalin-2 project's operator with a new Russian firm. Japanese companies are major stakeholders in the oil and natural gas development project.
The number of people taken to hospital by ambulance for suspected heatstroke symptoms in Tokyo in June was the highest for the month in at least a decade.
The mercury topped 35 degrees Celsius for the sixth straight day on Thursday in central Tokyo.
The Japan Tourism Agency has reported that hotel stays in May were up sharply from the same month last year.
It says the provisional number of overnight stays for the month came to 37.79 million. That's an increase of 82.3 percent from last May, making it the biggest jump so far this year.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 3,621 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Thursday.
The figure is up 1,208 from a week earlier, for a 13th straight day of week-on-week increase.
Tokyo officials say at least 11 people in the capital have died of heatstroke in June, the highest figure for the month in at least a decade, as the city wilts under sweltering heat.
According to data provided by the Medical Examiner's Office as of Wednesday, the 11 victims were in their 40s through their 90s, but the majority were elderly, with four in their 70s, and another four in their 80s.
An evacuation order has been lifted for part of a town hosting the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, more than 11 years after the March 2011 disaster.
About 60 percent of Okuma Town in Fukushima Prefecture had been designated a "difficult-to-return" zone due to high radiation levels following meltdowns at the plant triggered by a massive quake and tsunami.
Japanese transport investigators say a cargo ship that wrecked off the island nation Mauritius in 2020 did not have a detailed sea chart when it approached the island.
Japan Transport Safety Board published a preliminary report on the cause of the accident, which resulted in a massive leak of fuel oil into the ocean. The vessel was chartered by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, a Japanese firm.
Many people in Japan will face higher utility bills in August as major electricity suppliers pass on surging fuel prices to them.
Four of the country's 10 major power companies announced price hikes on Wednesday, citing higher costs for liquefied natural gas and coal for thermal power plants partly due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Japan had another hot day on Wednesday, with record-high temperatures in many areas.
Much of Japan was engulfed by a high-pressure system that brought clear skies and abundant sunshine.
Japan's government says a power shortage advisory will remain in effect through Thursday as sweltering heat is expected to continue in greater Tokyo.
Officials are warning millions of people to conserve electricity for a fourth straight day as the region's power reserve ratio could dip below 5 percent on Thursday.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is expected to confirm a major revision to a document that specifically outlines Japan's cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization at a two-day summit in Madrid, starting on Wednesday.
Kishida will be the first Japanese prime minister to attend the NATO talks.
People around Japan have reported seeing what appeared to be a fireball blazing across the night sky.
Videos taken around the country on Wednesday show a ball of light streaking across the sky for several seconds a little before 3 a.m.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 3,803 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Wednesday.
The figure was up 1,474 from a week ago and marked the 12th straight day of week-on-week increases.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and his British counterpart Boris Johnson have agreed to swiftly move forward with the signing of a bilateral defense cooperation agreement.
The two leaders met for about half-an-hour on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Germany.