A brass band in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, has dedicated a performance to the victims of the 2011 tsunami ahead of the 10th anniversary of the disaster next month.
A support group in the northeastern city organized the event at the request of those who said they wanted music to be played for their missing family members.
Japanese researchers believe that a jawbone fossil discovered in Fukui Prefecture in 2019 might be from the earliest mammal to ever live within its shores.
Researchers at Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum have analyzed a lower jaw fossil that was unearthed in June, 2019. It was found in the early Cretaceous stratum, which dates back about 127 million years.
The Japanese government has asked ten prefectures under its coronavirus state of emergency to launch an intensive coronavirus testing campaign at elderly care facilities. The action is in response to the growing number of cluster infections at such facilities.
The health ministry has told the prefectures to first sound out which nursing care facilities want testing and submit a testing plan by next Friday.
The Japanese government will review if there are any areas where the state of emergency can be lifted before it expires on March 7.
As the revised coronavirus special measures law will take effect on Saturday, the government is preparing to consult with experts on how to reflect the revision in guidelines on reducing infection risks.
A survey in Japan has reported nearly 700 cases of harassment or discrimination against healthcare workers who are combating the coronavirus and their families.
The Japan Medical Association compiled information assembled by its prefectural branches during a three-month period from October to December.
Former major league pitcher Tanaka Masahiro is taking part in his former Japanese team's spring training camp.
Tanaka has returned to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, 8 years after he led the squad to its first title.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 639 new cases of coronavirus infection in the capital on Saturday.
The daily tally has now remained below 1,000 for a ninth day in a row.
Governors in Japan met online on Saturday following the extension of the coronavirus state of emergency. Some suggested the declaration should be lifted in phases.
The central government has extended its state of emergency until March 7 for 10 prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Kanagawa.
The Japanese government has indicated it will consider easing anti-coronavirus measures in phases, depending on the infection situation in different regions. Revised laws to contain the virus are set to take effect next week.
The government has extended the coronavirus state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka, and eight other prefectures until March 7. The declaration has been in place for four weeks and was originally set to expire on Sunday.
Tokyo officials are receiving many complaints over a comment about women made by the head of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee. Some volunteers have said they will withdraw from the event.
Mori Yoshiro said in a Japanese Olympic Committee meeting on Wednesday that board meetings with women take too long because they talk too much. He retracted the remark and apologized on Thursday, saying it was inappropriate and goes against the spirit of the Olympics and Paralympics.
Japan confirmed 2,368 new coronavirus cases as of 6:20 p.m. on Friday.
This brings the total number of cases in the country so far to 402,369.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 577 new cases of coronavirus infection in the capital on Friday.
The daily tally has remained below 1,000 for an eighth day in a row.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials say they are receiving complaints over a comment about women made by the head of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee.
Mori Yoshiro said in a Japanese Olympic Committee meeting on Wednesday that board meetings with women take too long because they talk too much. He retracted the remark and apologized on Thursday, saying it was inappropriate and goes against the spirit of the Olympics and Paralympics.
A Japanese health ministry survey shows that less than one percent of people in Tokyo and four other prefectures are estimated to have had antibodies against the coronavirus last December.
Ministry officials say this means that most of Japan's population have yet to acquire antibodies, and they are urging people not to let their guard down.