People in western Japan are marking the 26th anniversary of a major earthquake that left widespread destruction and 6,434 people dead.
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake on January 17, 1995, damaged more than 600,000 homes and caused widespread fires.
Japanese leaders are calling for greater cooperation from the public to help tackle a surge in coronavirus infections. They're urging people to stay home this weekend---the first since a state of emergency was expanded to 11 prefectures.
The largest hot spot is the capital, Tokyo, where local officials reported 1,809 new cases on Saturday.
Japan confirmed 7,014 new cases of coronavirus infection as of 8:10 p.m. on Saturday.
That brings the total number of infections in the country to 325,497.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has confirmed 1,809 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday in the Japanese capital.
The figure is the second highest for a Saturday, following 2,268 cases reported on January 9.
The Japanese government is urging stricter public observance of anti-coronavirus measures. The appeal comes as the country enters its first weekend since the state of emergency was expanded to eleven prefectures.
The declaration which began with Tokyo and its three neighboring prefectures now covers Osaka and Aichi prefectures, among others.
Japan's standardized university entrance exams are scheduled to start on Saturday.
They are being held in a revised format, after continuing as they were for 31 years. There are still multiple-choice questions, but more emphasis is placed on the ability to think and reach decisions.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 2,001 new cases of coronavirus infection on Friday.
This is the first time since last Saturday that the daily tally in the capital has exceeded 2,000. The figure is also the second-highest for a Friday.
Friday marks one year since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Japan. But the outbreak shows no sign of abating.
More than 6,600 new daily cases were reported across Japan on Thursday. The overall death toll has exceeded 4,300.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials say a cluster infection of the coronavirus among subway drivers may have been caused by shared water faucets.
Beginning in the middle of December, 39 drivers and staff of the Toei Oedo subway line were infected with the coronavirus. The line's operator had to reduce services by around 30 percent for the two weeks through Monday this week.
A survey of workers in Japan's entertainment industry shows that more than 30 percent of respondents said they had thoughts of death due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The online survey was held between December 31 and January 7 by an emergency support project consisting of more than 30 industry groups. It received responses from 5,378 people, including actors and musicians.
Universal Studios Japan says it is delaying the opening of a theme park zone featuring the popular Nintendo character Mario for a second time. The decision on Thursday follows the government's declaration of a COVID-related state of emergency for Osaka Prefecture, where the park is located.
The park operator originally planned to open Super Nintendo World in July last year. But the spread of the virus prompted it to push the date back until early February.
Japan's minister in charge of the coronavirus response has indicated that the government will move to provide financial assistance to the city of Hiroshima to help it turn around the serious situation there.
Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi was speaking at a news conference on Thursday.
Japanese experts are warning the current wave of coronavirus infections is putting increasing strain on the medical system in the capital.
They say hospitals are being forced to turn away some COVID-19 patients and hotels where those with mild or no symptoms are asked to quarantine are full.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 1,502 new cases of the coronavirus in the Japanese capital on Thursday.
The daily tally in Tokyo has exceeded 1,000 for two days in a row.