Japanese weather officials have announced the start of the rainy season in Tokyo and the rest of the Kanto-Koshin region.
The Meteorological Agency said on Monday morning that it expects mostly clouds and rain in the region for the next seven days or so.
Japan's largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party says it will soon make a final decision on whether to submit a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's Cabinet.
The party's leader, Izumi Kenta, spoke to reporters on Sunday, with roughly a week to go before the end of the current Diet session.
Yachtsman Horie Kenichi says he is in the prime of his youth after becoming the world's oldest person to make a solo, nonstop voyage across the Pacific at the age of 83.
Horie spoke on Sunday at a ceremony to welcome him back at a yacht harbor in the western Japanese city of Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.
Heavy rainfall is forecast for areas along the Pacific coast from southwestern to northern Japan through Tuesday.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says a low-pressure system involving a weather front is causing rain clouds to develop over the regions of southern Kyushu, Kinki and Tokai.
Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the US military have held a joint drill to respond to a ballistic missile launch.
The Japanese Defense Ministry says the Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Ashigara, which is equipped with the advanced Aegis radar system, took part in the exercise on Sunday.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 1,584 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Sunday.
The figure was down more than 600 from a week ago, and marked the 23rd straight day of week-on-week declines.
Japanese weather officials are forecasting heavy rain in western and eastern Japan through Monday.
A low-pressure system accompanied by a front is expected to approach Kyushu on Sunday evening and move along the southern coast of western to eastern Japan through Monday.
Japanese Foreign Ministry officials say a Chinese ship was spotted releasing what was likely observation equipment into the sea in Japan's exclusive economic zone near the southern prefecture of Okinawa.
The officials said a Coast Guard patrol boat spotted the research vessel on Saturday about 73 kilometers north of Ishigaki Island.
The number of visas issued by Japan last year marked a record low since statistics became available in 1999.
The Foreign Ministry says embassies and consulates issued about 90,000 visas in 2021. That is only about one percent of the figure from 2019, when a record-high of over 8.2 million visas were issued.
Arrangements are underway for the defense chiefs of Japan, the United States, and South Korea to meet in Singapore next week. This comes after a series of ballistic missile launches by North Korea.
Japanese government officials say Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup may hold talks on the sidelines of an Asia security conference that will open in Singapore on Friday.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 2,071 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Saturday.
The figure is down about 500 from a week earlier and marks the 22nd straight day of week-on-week decline.
Japanese ocean adventurer Horie Kenichi has become the oldest person to complete a solo, nonstop crossing of the Pacific Ocean on a yacht.
Horie, aged 83, crossed the finish line in the Kii Channel, between the western Japanese prefectures of Wakayama and Tokushima, at 2:39 a.m. on Saturday. He left San Francisco on the US West Coast in late March.
Japanese and Russian fishing associations have reached agreement on the terms under which Japan can harvest kelp this year near a group of Russian-controlled islands that Japan claims as an inherent part of its territory.
Japanese crews usually start harvesting the seaweed near Kaigara Island on June 1 after the countries conclude a deal on the conditions of the operation.
Preparations are said to be underway for Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to attend a NATO summit later this month in Spain. If the plans come to fruition, Kishida will be the first Japanese leader to join a meeting of the alliance.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to take part in a Group of Seven summit from June 26 to 28 in Germany. The NATO meeting will be held on June 29 and 30 in Madrid, Spain.