Japan's minister in charge of coronavirus measures says the government is closely monitoring the situation, as the number of new cases continues to rise in the country.
Yamagiwa Daishiro told reporters after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that government officials are aware that infections with Omicron's sub-variants, BA.4 and BA.5, have been reported abroad.
The Japanese government has officially decided to lift its evacuation order in part of Fukushima Prefecture's Okuma Town.
About 60 percent of Okuma Town was designated as a "difficult-to-return" zone after the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The plant is located in the town.
A railway operator in western Japan has developed the world's first adjustable platform barrier doors that will align with any type of train.
West Japan Railway says the ''full-screen'' door, can identify the type of incoming train and the number of cars. The company says the opening panels of each screen unit then slide to align with the car doors.
More than 1,000 people have evacuated from Ukraine to Japan, since the Russian military operation started.
Some are struggling to adjust to living overseas and are dealing with mental health issues. A group of psychologists in Japan has launched a hotline to help those evacuees.
Japan's government has extended its advisory for possible power shortages in Tokyo and surrounding areas, as sweltering heat is likely to continue on Tuesday.
The government on Monday issued the advisory for the first time under a new protocol, alerting people in areas serviced by Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, to possible electricity shortages.
Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has pledged roughly 200 million dollars to offset the global food instability caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He is now in Germany for summit talks with other Group of Seven leaders.
The G7 leaders met Monday at a resort in Bavaria for day two of the three-day summit.
Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and US President Joe Biden have agreed on a plan to impose a price cap on Russian oil as part of efforts to ramp up pressure on Russia.
The leaders also agreed during a brief meeting on Monday on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Germany that their countries will strengthen their alliance and work together toward a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio talked briefly with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Germany on Monday.
The two leaders exchanged opinions on the situation in Ukraine. They confirmed that their countries will closely coordinate sanctions against Russia while supporting Ukraine.
The Japanese government has decided to extend its advisory indicating possible power shortages in Tokyo and surrounding areas by one more day.
The government on Monday issued the advisory for the first time under a new protocol for alerting people to possible electricity shortages recently put in place.
A heat wave hit wide areas of Japan on Monday, while weather officials announced that the rainy season apparently ended unusually early in some regions.
Meteorological Agency officials said the rainy season has ended in the Kanto-Koshin region, which includes Tokyo, as well as in the Tokai and southern Kyushu regions.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 1,517 new cases of coronavirus infection in the capital on Monday.
The figure was up 441 from a week before and marked the tenth straight day of week-on-week increases.
In the latest NHK opinion poll, the approval rate for Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's Cabinet came in at 50 percent, down 5 percentage points from the previous survey carried out one week before. The level of disapproval went up by 2 points to 27 percent.
NHK conducted the phone survey over the weekend, ahead of the Upper House election on July 10. More than 2,000 people responded.
Sales at Japan's major restaurant chains rose in May for the sixth straight month. There were no restrictions on social gatherings during the long holidays in early May for the first time since 2019, before the pandemic.
The Japan Foodservice Association says sales last month increased 20.4 percent from a year earlier.
Documentation outlining the Bank of Japan's latest board meeting reveals that policymakers are stressing the need to continue with massive monetary easing to achieve wage increases amid rising prices.
The BOJ released its "Summary of Opinions" from discussions at a two-day policy meeting earlier this month.