Japan's welfare ministry says the number of applications for welfare in July was down by 11.1 percent from July last year. It dropped by 2,463 to 19,650.
The month of June also saw a decline of 786, and applications in May dipped by 1,929 from the previous year.
Japan's machinery orders rose in August from the previous month, increasing for a second straight month.
The Cabinet Office says major machinery makers received about 7.1 billion dollars' worth of orders from domestic companies, up 0.2 percent in yen terms from July.
Travel agencies in Japan are stepping up online customer services as part of efforts to prevent spreading the coronavirus. The moves come after the government's incentive campaign for domestic tourism started including trips to and from Tokyo on October 1.
H.I.S. launched a new online system this month employing artificial intelligence. Customers can enter their travel period, budget and so on via smartphone, and AI then recommends travel plans.
Japan's Foreign Ministry plans to launch a research and study project to help create international rules on how to handle infectious disease outbreaks onboard cruise ships.
In February, coronavirus cluster infections were confirmed aboard the Diamond Princess, a cruise vessel registered in Britain and operated by a US company.
Official campaigning for a second referendum on whether to restructure Japan's western city of Osaka will begin on Monday.
The proposal involves reshaping the city into four wards, similar to Tokyo's 23-ward system. The city has more than 2.2 million eligible voters.
Construction machinery makers are adopting digital technologies to improve disaster recovery work.
This comes as Japan marks on Monday one year since Typhoon Hagibis made landfall in the country. The storm caused rivers to overflow, inflicting considerable damage.
The Japan Coast Guard says two Chinese patrol ships have entered Japan's territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, and are repeatedly trying to approach a Japanese fishing boat.
Coast Guard officials say two of the three Chinese vessels that had been sailing just outside the territorial waters made the intrusion off Taisho Island shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Japan's health ministry is conducting an online survey to find out how the coronavirus is affecting mental health.
The World Health Organization says a sense of isolation and decreasing incomes are believed to be causing more people to become dependent on alcohol or suffer from insomnia.
Weather officials in Japan say Tropical Storm Cham-hom is veering away from the country after bringing record downpours to the Izu Island chain in the Pacific, but they warn that the risks of mudslides remain high.
The Meteorological Agency says Cham-hom was located 150 kilometers southeast of Hachijojima Island as of noon on Sunday.
Tropical storm Chan-hom is moving away from Tokyo's remote southern islands. Meteorological officials say the worst of the rain is over, but call for continued caution against landslides.
Weather officials say Chan-hom was 130 kilometers south-southeast of Hachijojima Island in the Pacific ocean as of Sunday morning and moving east.
Severe tropical storm Chan-hom is skirting Japan. The Meteorological Agency has switched its heavy rain alert for Tokyo's southern remote islands from the highest emergency warning to a warning.
However, weather officials continue to urge people to remain on the alert against flooding and landslides.
A Japanese submarine and two destroyers are making a port call in southern Vietnam in an apparent show of force against China's maritime activities.
Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force deployed a marine fleet, including the country's largest destroyer Kaga, in September to waters in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu says the government will continue to work towards relocating the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa.
Kato, who is also the Minister in charge of Mitigating the Impact of US Forces in Okinawa, visited the prefecture for the first time since he assumed office on Saturday.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom is moving east-northeast along the Pacific coast.
Officials are urging people to be on the alert for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, swollen rivers, violent winds and high waves.