UNESCO says 5.5 months, or about two-thirds, of an academic year were lost on average worldwide due to school closures during the coronavirus pandemic.
The UN agency released a report on Sunday, the International Day of Education.
Vietnamese students and technical trainees, who are facing difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic, have been given a chance to seek advice at a free consultation event in Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo.
The event on Sunday was organized by citizens' groups in the prefecture, where many Vietnamese people live. Many of those people lost their jobs, due to the pandemic's economic impact. Some are unable to return to their country, even if they want to do so.
Buddhist priests and their followers have prayed for an end to the coronavirus pandemic while participating in a purification rite, in which they bathed in cold water at Koyasan, or Mount Koya.
A World Heritage site in Japan's Wakayama Prefecture, Koyasan has numerous temples and is the center of Shingon Buddhism.
A concert in the city of Hiroshima has featured a piano that survived the atomic bombing to mark the entry into force of a treaty banning nuclear weapons.
The piano was 1.8 kilometers from the center of the atomic bomb blast in August 1945. It was damaged by flying glass from the explosion.
Data compiled by Japan's health ministry shows that the number of people self-isolating at home after testing positive for the coronavirus has been continuing to soar across the country.
The ministry says that on November 4, there were 1,096 such individuals. But the ministry said the figure jumped to 6,429 on December 9, and further surged to 17,484 on January 6, and 35,394 as of last Wednesday.
A Japanese research team says the "Go To" travel campaign launched last July may have contributed to the spread of the coronavirus in its initial phase.
The group led by Kyoto University Professor Nishiura Hiroshi published a paper in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
A Toyota Motor group company is taking on hundreds of workers from industrial manufacturers that have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Sources say Toyota Auto Body has decided to temporarily accept personnel from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The move is aimed at protecting people's jobs as divisions that manufacture aircraft parts and engines are suffering from falling demand.
High school students from across Japan have displayed their flower-arranging skills in an online competition.
The "hanaike battle" takes place annually in the western city of Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture. This year's contest was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 986 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday.
The daily tally in the capital fell below 1,000 for the first time since January 12.
Weather officials are warning of more snow in the areas surrounding Tokyo, mainly in mountainous regions. But they say it is unlikely to accumulate in central Tokyo as the temperatures at high altitude did not dip as much as expected.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says a low-pressure system and a weather front have brought snow to the Kanto-Koshin region.
A major university in Japan has begun distributing food to students in need as many of them have less work amid the coronavirus pandemic.
University of Tsukuba found out that many students are facing economic hardship and asking for support.
Weather officials are warning of snow in Tokyo and surrounding areas on Sunday. Snow could accumulate even in central Tokyo.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says a low-pressure system and a weather front have brought snow to mountainous areas in the Kanto-Koshin region.
The overall death toll from the coronavirus in Japan reached 5,010 on Saturday. The number includes 13 people who were on board a cruise ship.
Officials reported 1,070 new cases in Tokyo on Saturday.
A girl in Tokyo has been infected with a variant of the coronavirus first detected in Britain. It is said to be more contagious.
The health ministry warns there is the possibility of community infection.