Seven directors, including Koreeda Hirokazu, have established a group to improve Japan's film industry.
Speaking to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday, the directors called for establishing a Japanese version of CNC -- France's national cinema center tasked with optimizing and promoting the country's film industry. The directors said other European countries, the United States and South Korea have similar organizations.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 1,528 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Tuesday.
The figure is down 272 from a week ago, marking a 32nd straight day of week-on-week decline.
Japan's gymnastics governing body and Takasaki City, north of Tokyo, will accept 25 Ukrainian rhythmic gymnasts for about two weeks next month.
The International Gymnastics Federation asked the Japan Gymnastics Association to help the Ukrainian athletes, who are unable to train in their country because of the Russian invasion.
A Japanese government report called for creating a 10-trillion-yen, or about 74-billion-dollar, fund for university research in a bid to reverse a decline in the country's science and technology capability.
The annual white paper on science, technology and innovation approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday highlighted challenges to Japan becoming a science-and-technology-oriented nation. The push to improve research is a pillar of the government's growth strategy.
Tokyo's benchmark stock index tumbled on Tuesday, its third straight day of losses, following overnight declines in New York.
Investors are concerned that high inflation in the US may persist, prompting the central bank to accelerate the pace and magnitude of rate hikes. They fear the tightening could drag down economic growth.
Japan's Finance Minister says he's concerned about the rapid slide of the yen, and has hinted the government is ready to take action.
Suzuki Shunichi spoke after the Japanese currency briefly weakened to the 135-yen zone against the dollar on Monday. That is its lowest level in nearly 24 years.
Capital spending by Japanese companies is set to jump by the most ever in the current business year, as the economy recovers from the pandemic.
A quarterly survey by the Cabinet Office and the Finance Ministry shows capital spending growing 16 percent in fiscal 2022, which began in April.
Japanese police have arrested a man alleged to be the mastermind behind a coronavirus subsidy scam after he returned from Dubai.
Police say Matsue Daiki fraudulently received the subsidy in 2020 by falsely claiming that his income as a sole proprietor had drastically fallen due to the pandemic. The 31-year-old suspect left for Dubai in February this year.
Japan's Diet has enacted legislation to revise the Penal Code, toughening penalties for insults and unifying two types of imprisonment.
The Upper House passed the legislation on Monday with majority support from the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito as well as the Nippon Ishin Japan Innovation Party, the Democratic Party for the People and other lawmakers.
An NHK poll shows that the approval rate for Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's Cabinet stands at 59 percent, up 4 percentage points from last month. That's the highest figure since the Kishida administration was launched last October. The disapproval rate is unchanged at 23 percent.
NHK conducted the telephone survey over the weekend. Nearly 2,000 people responded.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials say they confirmed 960 new cases of coronavirus on Monday. This is the first time in about five months that the capital has registered fewer than 1,000 daily cases.
The latest figure is down by 53 from a week ago, marking the 31st consecutive day of week-on-week decline.
Japanese weather officials announced on Monday that the rainy season has begun in the western region of Shikoku.
A low-pressure system and a damp air mass are bringing rain to the area's Pacific coast.
Many of the traditional festivals and firework displays that add color to the Japanese summer will be held for the first time in three years as coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
NHK polled the organizers of 38 major events across Japan. The organizers of 26 events, or 68 percent, say they will be held this summer for the first time in three years.
Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo met his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe and urged China to exercise restraint in its unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force in the East China Sea, including areas around the Senkaku Islands.
The two ministers spoke for about one hour on Sunday on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, an Asian security forum in Singapore.