"La France" pears, an autumn delicacy in Japan, have been shipped using Shinkansen bullet trains from northern Japan to the capital, Tokyo.
Yamagata Prefecture, a major producer of the so-called "Queen of fruits," and the East Japan Railway Company, which operates the Yamagata Shinkansen bullet trains, planned the project.
More than 220 Japanese academic societies of liberal arts have jointly demanded that the government explain why it refused to appoint six nominees for membership in the country's top academic body.
Ten people, including university professors who serve as heads of societies in the fields of humanities and social sciences, released the joint statement at a news conference on Friday.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 242 new cases of coronavirus infection on Friday.
The daily figure has exceeded 200 for two days in a row.
Japan's minister in charge of the coronavirus response is recommending more detailed analysis of infection cases to better tackle the outbreak.
Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi was speaking to reporters on Friday. He referred to the nationwide tally of daily new cases that topped 1,000 on Thursday for the first time since August 21.
The fishing season for snow crabs began on Friday in the Sea of Japan off Fukui Prefecture.
Boats carrying the renowned winter delicacy unloaded their haul at ports in the prefecture.
Japanese police say money-laundering cases using digital currency or e-money payment services nearly tripled in 2019 from the previous year.
The National Police Agency says businesses offering e-money payment services reported a total of 3,913 suspected money-laundering cases last year. That's an increase of 2,522 from 2018 and is 2.8 times the figure recorded a year earlier.
Japan confirmed 1,024 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, with a daily count exceeding 1,000 for the first time since late August.
This brings the cumulative total of confirmed cases in the country to 105,770 including 712 on a cruise ship. The cumulative total of confirmed deaths reached 1,816 including 13 on the cruise ship.
Japan's health ministry says coronavirus cluster infections were confirmed at more than 100 locations nationwide in the week through Monday.
The health ministry compiles weekly figures based on data from local governments.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 269 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday.
The preliminary figure, as of 3 p.m., marks the first time in three weeks that the capital's daily count has exceeded 250.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu says the Japanese government will keep a close eye on developments regarding China's coast guard, including a planned legal revision outlining its responsibilities.
Kato told reporters on Thursday the government is committed to defending the lives and assets of the Japanese people, including fishing boats, as well as Japan's territorial waters and air space. He pledged to continue to monitor and patrol the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and deal calmly yet firmly with China.
The governor of Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido and the mayor of its biggest city, Sapporo, are united in stepping up preventive measures as coronavirus infections are increasing there again.
Prefectural officials confirmed 75 new cases on Wednesday. Fifty-one of them are in Sapporo. The tally in the prefecture surpassed 70 for the third day in a row.
Japan's nuclear regulator has decided that problems at a terrorism-response facility for a reactor must not be made public in principle until they are resolved. The regulator regards the decision as part of anti-terrorism measures.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority discussed on Wednesday its policy of disclosing possible problems at the back-up facilities. The agency also decided when information is released after resolution, details should not be included. The regulator also says it will swiftly disclose serious problems that may lead to a halt of a reactor while withholding their details.
Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has ruled out new nuclear plants or new reactors for Japan at this point, as the country aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.
Suga was answering questions from Constitutional Democratic Party leader Edano Yukio in the Lower House Budget Committee on Wednesday.
The Tokyo metropolitan government says it has confirmed on Wednesday 122 new cases of the coronavirus in the Japanese capital.
The daily tally has topped 100 for two straight days.