Japan's Defense Ministry says a projectile that could be a ballistic missile was launched from North Korea around noon on Wednesday, local time.

A Japanese Self-Defense Forces aircraft carrying aid supplies for Ukrainian evacuees has arrived in Poland.

The SDF C-2 transporter landed at an airport in the southeastern city of Rzeszow on Tuesday afternoon local time.

The president of a tour boat operator in Hokkaido Prefecture, northern Japan, has stated in a document that a fatal accident last month could have been avoided if safety protocols were followed.

The company's "KAZU I" tour boat sank off the Shiretoko Peninsula on April 23. There were 26 people on board. Fourteen have been confirmed dead. The rest are unaccounted for.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 3,357 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday.

The figure is down about 1,700 from a week ago.

The Japan Coast Guard has carried out searches for a second day at places linked to a tour boat that sank off the northern prefecture of Hokkaido last month.

The "KAZU I" sank off the Shiretoko Peninsula during a sightseeing cruise on April 23. Of the 26 people on board, 14 people have been confirmed dead and 12 others remain missing.

With Japan in the midst of a spring holiday, many airline passengers are being tested free of charge for the coronavirus at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

The airport was crowded on Tuesday with people traveling to their hometowns and resorts for the second half of the spring holiday season.

An NHK poll has shown that more than 40 percent of Japanese think that their Constitutionally-guaranteed freedom and rights have been undermined during the coronavirus pandemic.

NHK conducted the survey in mid-April, ahead of the 75th anniversary of Japan's post-war Constitution on May 3. The random phone survey targeted nearly 3,000 adults. Around half of them responded.

Japan and the European Union have agreed to step up cooperation in research and development of next-generation communication standards known as Beyond 5G.

Japanese Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kaneko Yasushi met European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager in Brussels on Monday.

Japanese fishers have finally started this year's salmon season off the northern prefecture of Hokkaido. The start was delayed by more than three weeks due to fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

At the port of Habomai in Nemuro City, crewmembers were busy stocking their boats with food and other supplies on Monday night. Four vessels headed off at midnight.

A pottery fair is underway in the town of Mashiko, north of Tokyo, which is renowned for the simplicity of design of its ceramics. Coronavirus restrictions meant that the event could not be held for the last two years.

Organizers say about 600 shops are taking part in the fair, about 10 percent fewer than the last time it was held.

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha have agreed that any attempt to change the status quo by force anywhere in the world is unacceptable.

At the beginning of their talks in Bangkok on Monday, Kishida said that together with Prayut, he wants to further strengthen friendship with Thailand, a strategic partner of Japan.

Japanese researchers say they have detected a new mutation in the BA.2 Omicron subvariant for the first time in the country.

A group led by Associate Professor Takeuchi Hiroaki at Tokyo Medical and Dental University made the announcement on Monday.

Stormy weather has forced the Japan Coast Guard and others to suspend their search inside the tour boat that sank off the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.

The sightseeing boat "KAZU I" sank off the Shiretoko Peninsula during a cruise on April 23. Of the 26 people on board, 14 people have been confirmed dead and 12 others remain missing.

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is holding talks with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in Bangkok.

Prior to the discussions, Kishida attended a welcome ceremony in the capital on Monday afternoon.