A Ukrainian evacuee in Japan has taken her first language lesson thanks to a group of Japanese-language schools across the country.

The group, Japanese Supports for Ukrainian Students, is a network of about 40 Japanese-language schools. It provides Ukrainian students with tuition-free education. It has so far taken in eight evacuees.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Monday reported 3,479 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital, down about 1,000 from a week ago.

Tokyo officials also reported three deaths on Monday.

In Major League Baseball, Japanese two-way star Ohtani Shohei of the Los Angeles Angels has extended his hitting streak to seven games.

Ohtani was in the starting lineup as the designated hitter against the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

In Japan's professional baseball, Chiba Lotte Marines player Sasaki Roki pitched a perfect game through 8 innings against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. That followed up his perfect game in April.

Sasaki tossed a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes on April 10, the first in 28 years in Japanese professional baseball.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu says the government will seek close communication with South Korea's incoming administration.

Matsuno was speaking to reporters on Monday. His remark comes as South Korea's President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is to send a delegation to Japan next week ahead of his inauguration on May 10.

Japanese students studying international law at Waseda University in Tokyo have held a mock trial on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In March, the International Court of Justice issued a provisional order for Russia to immediately suspend its military action in Ukraine after Kyiv filed a suit asserting that Russia had no lawful basis for military action.

Researchers say satellite data show that the concentration of methane, a greenhouse gas, in the earth's atmosphere hit a record high last year and also posted the largest year-on-year increase since 2010.

Data obtained by the Japanese greenhouse gas observation satellite Ibuki show that the average of global methane concentration in the atmosphere throughout 2021 stood at 1,857 parts per billion.

A major Japanese travel agency is expecting the number of domestic travelers during the upcoming spring holiday season to increase by nearly 70 percent from a year ago.

JTB estimates that about 16 million people will travel to domestic destinations between late April and early May. The estimation is based on bookings for accommodations and economic benchmarks.

The traditional Japanese board game of shogi was brought to life in northern Japan, as people dressed in the costumes of medieval samurai warriors served as life-size game pieces.

Young shogi prodigy Fujii Sota played an open-air match in Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture. Tendo is the country's top producer of wooden shogi pieces.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Sunday confirmed 5,220 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital, down more than 2,800 from a week ago.

Tokyo officials also reported five deaths.

About 1,100 runners participated in the first full marathon event held in Aomori City, northern Japan on Sunday.

In addition to the full 42.195-kilometer run, the event also included a half-marathon and a 10-kilometer run.

Japanese Justice Minister Furukawa Yoshihisa says the government plans to revise the relevant laws to establish a system to protect people who have escaped wars.

Furukawa said on an NHK program on Sunday that, in order to quickly provide support, evacuees from Ukraine were roughly grouped into those who have relatives or acquaintances in Japan and those who do not.

Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa plans to visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to call for cooperation over the situation in Ukraine.

Government officials say they are adjusting schedules for the minister to visit the two former Soviet republics in Central Asia.

Teenage girls dreaming of future stardom in the Takarazuka Revue, Japan's all-woman musical theater troupe, have taken the first step on their career path.

Takarazuka Music School in Hyogo Prefecture held an entrance ceremony on Saturday, enrolling 40 new students this school year starting in April.