NHK has learned that the Japanese government is planning to ease the strict re-entry ban that has been in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The government is currently denying entry to foreigners from 146 countries and territories. The restrictions even apply to permanent residents and students. Exceptions can be made for childbirths and relatives' funerals.
The number of confirmed new COVID-19 cases in Tokyo on Thursday is 339. It's over 300 for the first time in 5 days.
Total cases in the Japanese capital now exceed 18,600.
Public prosecutors in Tokyo have arrested a lawmaker on suspicion of seeking false testimony in a court trial. Lower House member Akimoto Tsukasa has already been indicted in a bribery case related to a government-led casino resort project.
The prosecutors arrested Akimoto on Thursday.
A Japanese airline is testing a new type of doorknob for in-cabin toilets as an anti-infection measure amid the coronavirus pandemic. The door can be opened and closed using one's elbow, not one's hand.
All Nippon Airways has put a toilet with the new doorknob for trial in a lounge at Tokyo's Haneda Airport and is asking passengers to try it out.
Officials in Tokyo say 28 people died of heatstroke in the city during the eight-day period from August 12 to August 19. That brings the total number of fatalities this month to 131.
The Medical Examiner's Office says that 11 of the 28 victims were in their 70s. Ten were in their 80s. It says about 80 percent of the victims were at least 70 years old.
Japan's tax authorities have ordered Nissan Motor to pay additional taxes for failing to report income worth about 9.4 million dollars in the five years through March 2019.
Sources told NHK that the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau has determined that the undeclared income was used to pay for a corporate jet used by former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn and his family. Nissan also covered the rental costs of Ghosn's condominiums in Tokyo and Paris, and paid fees for a fictitious consulting contract with Ghosn's sister.
Japan's second-largest opposition party, the Democratic Party for the People, has decided to dissolve itself and form a new party through a merger with the largest opposition group, the Constitutional Democratic Party.
The decision came at a meeting of more than 60 Lower and Upper House members of the party on Wednesday.
Japan's second largest opposition party, the Democratic Party for the People, has decided to dissolve itself and form a new one through a merger with the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party.
The decision came at a meeting of more than 60 Lower and Upper House members of the party on Wednesday afternoon.
NHK has learned Defense Minister Kono Taro is arranging a meeting with his US counterpart, Mark Esper, in the US territory of Guam this month.
Sources say Kono is planning to fly to Guam by an Air Self-Defense Force plane on August 29 for talks with Esper at a US Air Force base.
A prominent infectious disease expert in Japan is warning that the country is in the midst of second wave of the coronavirus outbreak. The alarm comes as the number of seriously ill patients has been rising.
The western prefecture of Osaka reported 187 new cases on Wednesday ... the most among the country's 47 prefectures. There were 65 seriously ill patients as of Tuesday ... more than double the figure for Tokyo.
A Japanese government survey shows that the country's exports declined 19.2 percent in July from a year earlier.
The Finance Ministry released the preliminary trade data on Wednesday.
A second group of experts from Japan is set to leave for Mauritius on Wednesday to help reduce the environmental impact of an oil spill from a Japanese-owned bulk carrier.
The team of seven includes experts from the National Institute for Environmental Studies and the Environment Ministry. They are being dispatched at the request of the Mauritian government to help assess the impact on the local eco-system of the oil leakage from the ship.
People in Tokyo are struggling with the scorching summer heat. Health officials say 79 people died of heatstroke in the capital this month.
They say about 80 percent of the victims were aged 70 or older. Most of them either did not have an air conditioner or were not using it.
Health officials in Japan are dealing with an increase in coronavirus infections. They're calling for vigilance as the number of seriously ill patients is on the rise.
Tokyo has the most new cases among Japan's 47 prefectures with 207 infections confirmed on Tuesday. In addition, 31 patients are now listed in serious condition. It's the first time the figure has topped 30 since May.