Japan's Emperor Naruhito met guests at a ceremony in the Imperial Palace to mark his 61st birthday on Tuesday.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako entered the palace by car shortly after 10 a.m. They bowed to crowds of people who had gathered to celebrate the Emperor's birthday.
Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and ministers involved in the government's coronavirus response are expected to consider lifting a state of emergency in five prefectures, including Osaka and Kyoto.
New daily cases in Tokyo dropped below 200 on Monday for the first time in about three months.
Japan's Emperor Naruhito turned 61 years old on Tuesday.
Ahead of his birthday, he expressed his thoughts to the media, looking back on the past year.
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says seismometers at a reactor building were out of order when a strong earthquake struck northeastern Japan on February 13.
Tokyo Electric Power Company on Monday briefed the Nuclear Regulation Authority on the quake's impact on the plant and the company's response.
The governor of Shimane Prefecture in western Japan has urged the central government to resolve a territorial dispute with South Korea over the Takeshima Islands.
Maruyama Tatsuya spoke at a ceremony in Matsue City on Monday to mark the incorporation of the islands into the prefecture more than a century ago.
An employee of major Japanese trading house Itochu Corporation has been released from prison in China after serving his sentence of three years for harming national security.
The male worker in his 40s appears set to return to Japan shortly.
Japan's communications ministry says 11 officials violated the National Public Service Officials Ethics Code by being entertained by a son of Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide who works for a firm involved in satellite broadcasting.
The ministry concluded a probe into the matter and released a report on Monday.
Tokyo officials say they have confirmed 178 new coronavirus cases on Monday.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government published the preliminary figure recorded as of 3 p.m. on Monday.
NHK has learned that Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is considering reprimands for 11 officials who were reportedly treated to dinners by a son of Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, who works for a company involved in satellite broadcasting.
The ministry is making final adjustments to conclude that four senior officials have violated ethics code, and may announce seven others received similar treatment.
Japan's transport ministry has instructed domestic airlines to halt operations of Boeing 777 aircraft after a jet engine failed upon takeoff in the United States.
A United Airlines' Boeing 777-200 passenger jet departing from Denver, Colorado landed safely on Saturday, local time, but large engine parts fell into a residential area.
Tokyo Electric Power Company has found that the pressure inside one of the reactor containment vessels at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has dropped.
The utility said the earthquake that hit the area on February 13 may have been to blame. TEPCO said no radioactive material has leaked.
Thousands of people gathered in Tokyo on Sunday to call for support for the anti-coup protests in Myanmar.
The rally was organized by a group of people from Myanmar who live in Japan. The organizers say about 3,500 people gathered near the US Embassy in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
Japan has received its second shipment of the coronavirus vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
The doses arrived at Narita Airport near Tokyo on Sunday from Belgium.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 272 new cases of the coronavirus in the Japanese capital on Sunday.
The daily tally is below 500 for a 15th straight day.