Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide is likely to officially announce his candidacy to succeed Prime Minister Abe Shinzo on Wednesday.

Suga is expected to explain to reporters why he plans to run in the leadership election for the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Japanese authorities staged a drill on Tuesday under the scenario of a major earthquake striking the country.

September 1 is Disaster Prevention Day in Japan. This day commemorates the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which left more than 100,000 people dead in and around Tokyo.

Powerful Typhoon Maysak is moving through the islands of Okinawa, southern Japan. It is expected to pick up strength and head north over waters west of Kyushu region through Thursday.

Weather officials say that as of 6 a.m. on Tuesday, the large and very strong typhoon was moving north-north-west over waters 70 kilometers northwest of Okinawa's Kume island at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour.

Powerful Typhoon Maysak is moving through the islands of Okinawa, southern Japan. It is expected to approach Okinawa's main island by Tuesday morning and move over waters west of Kyushu region through Thursday.

Weather officials say that as of midnight on Tuesday, the large and very strong typhoon was moving north-north-west over waters 80 kilometers south of Okinawa's Kume island at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour.

Please click to watch NHK World's meteorologist Sayaka Mori give the latest details on Typhoon Maysak.

In the race to choose the new leader of Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party, support for Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide appears to be widening. The winner of the election will take over from Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, when he resigns to deal with health issues.

Suga is expected to officially announce his candidacy once the schedule for the election is decided. On Monday, he met the head of the party's largest faction and other senior party members to ask for support.

Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has stressed to US President Donald Trump that his successor will continue to bolster the Japan-US alliance. Abe made the comment in a phone call on Monday, Japan time, to explain his decision to resign.

Abe and Trump talked for about 30 minutes. The prime minister announced on Friday that he is leaving office for health reasons.

A White House spokesperson said in a statement that President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Abe Shinzo spoke at length and reflected on the last four years.

Judd Deere also said that the two leaders "remarked that their relationship is extraordinary; the President called Prime Minister Abe the greatest prime minister in Japan's history."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide is likely to wait to announce his intention to run to succeed Prime Minister Abe Shinzo until how and when the method of choosing a successor is agreed.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is likely to decide on the method of selecting its next leader on Tuesday.

Powerful typhoon Maysak is expected to approach the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa and the Amami region in Kagoshima Prefecture between Monday night and Tuesday.

Weather officials say the developing typhoon is moving north over waters south of Okinawa.

The southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa is bracing for powerful typhoon Maysak, which is expected to approach the region between Monday night and Tuesday.

Okinawa City officials issued an advisory to prepare for evacuation at 10 a.m. Japan time. The alert targets 64,141 households, or 142,932 residents. It is the third highest on a scale of five.

Weather officials in Japan are urging caution against heatstroke as intense heat continues to grip wide areas of the country on Monday.

The Meteorological Agency says a high pressure system is covering western and central Japan, causing the mercury to shoot up. In some areas, the temperatures rose above 35 degrees Celsius before noon.

Japan's industrial production rose sharply in July as factory activity continued to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The industry ministry says production rose 8 percent in July from the previous month. It marks the second consecutive month of increase. Automakers and parts makers boosted their output for overseas markets. They had been forced to cut production as COVID-19 stifled global demand.

Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and US President Donald Trump have discussed the Japanese leader's decision to resign, and are believed to have confirmed their close cooperation will continue.

Abe and Trump talked for about 30 minutes a little after 10 a.m., Japan time, on Monday. Abe announced on Friday that he is leaving office for health reasons.