The Japanese government plans to draw up a new policy on missile defense by the end of the year.

The government held a National Security Council meeting on Friday with Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, Deputy Prime Minister Aso Taro, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide and Defense Minister Kono Taro in attendance.

Japan and Britain have reached a broad agreement on a new economic partnership.

The two sides aim to bring the pact into force on January 1, 2021.

There's further information on the ship that leaked a large amount of heavy oil into the sea off Mauritius. The Wakashio, chartered by Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, is registered in Panama. Authorities believe there was a problem with how the nautical chart was handled.

The Panamanian authorities released the results of their investigation on Monday.

Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has announced a support package worth more than 9 million dollars in the wake of a major oil spill off Mauritius.

A bulk carrier chartered by the company ran aground off the island nation in July.

A court in Tokyo will begin the trial of former Nissan Motor executive Greg Kelly next week. He's accused of being involved in the underreporting of income of former chairman Carlos Ghosn.

Ahead of the trial, Kelly gave an exclusive interview to NHK. He's now out on bail.

Japan's health ministry has decided to give seasonal flu shots to elderly people first, from October 1.

The decision was made on Friday amid concerns over simultaneous outbreaks of influenza and coronavirus infections, which are hard to distinguish.

Japan's finance minister says he wants an operator of an e-money service and banks to put top priority on protecting depositors, following a major fraud case.

Aso Taro was speaking on Friday following revelations that bank customers had their savings stolen by scammers who abused telecom giant NTT Docomo's cashless payment service.

The Japanese transport minister has revealed a plan to add Tokyo to a domestic travel campaign, "Go To Travel," on October 1.

Akaba Kazuyoshi said the plan is a result of talks with Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide and Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi, who is also the minister in charge of the coronavirus response.

NHK has found that Japan's chief cabinet secretary is leading the race to become the new leader of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party as the successor of outgoing Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

The winner is set to become the country's next prime minister. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide is vying with former LDP Secretary-General Ishiba Shigeru, and LDP policy chief Kishida Fumio for the party leadership.

Japan's chief cabinet secretary, one of the candidates vying for leadership of the main ruling party, says the consumption tax rate will need to be raised as the country's population is shrinking.

Suga Yoshihide made the remark in a commercial TV program on Thursday. He is one of three candidates seeking to win the leadership election of the Liberal Democratic Party on Monday. The winner is almost certain to become the next prime minister, replacing Abe Shinzo, who is stepping down for health reasons.

NHK and Japan's space agency have announced a plan to use ultra-high-definition cameras in the future probe of Mars and its moons.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, plans to launch its probe Martian Moons eXploration, or MMX, in the fiscal year beginning in April 2024. The probe will approach Mars and observe its two moons, Phobos and Deimos. It will land on Phobos to collect surface samples and take them back to Earth.

A government panel on the coronavirus outbreak says two prefectures, Okinawa and Ishikawa, still remain at the worst of the four stages in hospital bed availability.

The subcommittee on Thursday released the latest data on the severity of the pandemic for each of the nation's 47 prefectures, including strains on the medical system.

Two of Japan's biggest opposition groups are merging to challenge the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and gain control of the Diet.

The alliance on Thursday voted as its leader Edano Yukio, the head of one of the groups, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Edano said "if the LDP tries to dissolve the Lower House to hold an election and escape debating us in the Diet, we'll be ready to take them on and provide an alternative for the people."

Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu has pledged that Japan will contribute one million dollars to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Motegi took part in an online meeting on Wednesday with his counterparts from the 10-member ASEAN, China and South Korea.