Japan's transport ministry has approved a measure allowing some taxi operators to reject passengers who refuse to wear face masks without proper reasons.
Ten taxi operators, including a major taxi company in Tokyo, had asked the ministry to review their rules. Taxi drivers are essentially banned from refusing passengers except under some circumstances.
Japanese Finance Minister Aso Taro says his country is keeping a close eye on the US presidential election.
Aso spoke to reporters on Wednesday morning as vote-counting was starting in the United States.
Fans of the blockbuster animated movie "Kimetsu no Yaiba," or "Demon Slayer," are flocking to a shrine in southwestern Japan because of its association with the film.
The movie is based on a hit manga series about a boy who battles demons in Japan about a century ago.
The southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa got a colorful blast from the past on Tuesday, when a Ryukyu dynasty parade was held in Naha City.
The event typically takes place every November 3, which is Japan's Culture Day. However, it was canceled in 2019 due to a fire at Shuri Castle, and also in 2018 due to heavy rains.
Two Japanese baseball stars are in the running for the highest pitching honor in the US Major Leagues. Darvish Yu of the Chicago Cubs and Maeda Kenta of the Minnesota Twins are finalists for the Cy Young Award.
The award is given annually to the best pitcher in each league. It is named after the late pitcher Cy Young, who earned 511 wins in his career--the most in MLB history.
A new survey shows that more people moved out of Tokyo than migrated to the metropolis in the six months through September amid the spread of the coronavirus.
Japan's Internal Affairs Ministry says about 194,400 people moved to Tokyo between April and September, while nearly 200,000 moved out of the capital in that period.
Cruise ship operations have resumed at Yokohama Port, near Tokyo, after an eight-month suspension due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Japan's largest cruise ship, Asuka II, left the port on Monday with about 330 passengers on a four-day round trip to Shimizu Port in Shizuoka Prefecture.
A collection of antique Japanese porcelain kept at an Austrian castle will be exhibited in Tokyo from Tuesday after undergoing restoration.
Works of Koimari, or Old-Imari, collected by the owner of Loosdorf Castle in eastern Austria some 300 years ago had been preserved at the castle. But most of them were broken to pieces in the confusion surrounding the end of World War Two.
A wintertime illumination event has started in Kabukicho, a nightlife district in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward that was hit hard by the economic impact of the coronavirus.
About 120,000 LED lights on roadside trees were lit on Monday evening in front of the Shinjuku ward office to kick off the event.
Japanese veteran handball star Miyazaki Daisuke has been arrested on suspicion of violence against a female acquaintance.
Police say the 39-year-old is suspected of pulling her hair at a hotel in Nagoya City early on Monday morning.
A PCR testing center has opened at Narita Airport near Tokyo for passengers who need proof of a negative coronavirus test result before traveling overseas.
The operator of Narita Airport says it's the first such on-the-spot facility at an airport in Japan.
In Major League Baseball, Japanese pitcher Tanaka Masahiro has become a free agent after wrapping up his seven-year contract with the New York Yankees.
MLB teams were able to make one-year qualifying offers to eligible former players until Sunday.
The Tokyo metropolitan government says 87 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the Japanese capital on Monday.
The daily tally came in below the 100 mark for the first time in two weeks.
This year has seen a record high number of days that Chinese government ships have sailed just outside Japan's territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
The Japan Coast Guard said that as of 9:00 a.m. on Monday, four Chinese vessels were sailing in waters off Kubashima, one of the Senkakus. The area is in the contiguous zone just outside of Japan's territorial waters.