The number of new cases of the coronavirus is trending lower across Japan.
An NHK survey of local case counts shows that the seven-day average of new infections through Thursday was lower than the week before in all 47 prefectures.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan is being hit by a heavy downpour on Friday afternoon. The agency is calling on residents to be on maximum alert for possible disasters.
Weather officials say 118 millimeters of rainfall was recorded in northern Hamamatsu City during the hour until 1 p.m.
The Japanese government has decided on comprehensive measures to brace for possible future pandemics, including some that carry penalties.
The decision was made on Friday at a meeting of the government's headquarters dealing with the coronavirus.
A contest to find the heaviest watermelon has been held in Akita Prefecture, northern Japan.
An agricultural cooperative in the city of Yokote organizes the event every year to promote its watermelons.
Japan's government has released a summary of opinions it collected from experts on its plans to drastically enhance defense capabilities. It shows they are divided over whether the country should possess counterstrike capabilities.
The government heard views from 52 experts regarding its plans to revise three key defense documents, including the National Security Strategy, by the end of the year.
Typhoon Hinnamnor is expected to re-approach Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa on Sunday.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says that as of 3 a.m. on Friday, the "very strong" typhoon was almost stationary over waters about 390 kilometers south of Okinawa's Miyakojima Island.
Japan's space agency says it aims to launch the next-generation mainstay H3 rocket in the current fiscal year ending in March.
The H3 rocket is under development as the successor to the H2A rocket. The H3's first launch was initially planned for fiscal 2020, but it was postponed twice due to problems with the main engine.
Brazilian media say a man originally from the country, suspected of murdering his wife and daughter at their home in Osaka, western Japan, may be hiding in the residence of his relatives in Brazil.
Police in Osaka placed 33-year-old Barbosa Anderson Robson on the nationwide wanted list on Wednesday on suspicion that he fatally stabbed his wife and daughter sometime between August 20 and 21.
The season for catching puffer fish on long lines has opened in western Japan. Puffer fish sashimi is a popular delicacy in the country.
About 50 people attended a departure ceremony at a market in the city of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The area is Japan's leading puffer supplier.
Typhoon Hinnamnor is expected to re-approach Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa after briefly moving away to the south.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says, as of 6 p.m. on Thursday, the violent typhoon was moving south at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour over waters 370 kilometers south of Miyakojima Island.
Japan's leading automaker and the nation's biggest steel producer have agreed on the largest price hike of steel products in over a decade. The deal between Toyota Motor and Nippon Steel could drive up costs in a wide range of industries.
Sources say the companies agreed to raise the price of auto-related steel products per ton by about 40,000 yen, or around 290 dollars. The change would be in place for the latter half of the current fiscal year through March.
A new survey suggests shoppers in Japan will continue to feel the pinch with thousands more everyday food items set to get more expensive.
Private research firm Teikoku Databank conducted the survey of about 100 Japanese food and beverage makers in late August. Nearly 80 percent said they had already raised, or plan to raise, prices this year to pass on higher production costs.
Two-way baseball star Ohtani Shohei of the Los Angeles Angels has become the first Japanese player to hit 30 home runs in the Major League for two seasons in a row.
Ohtani reached the milestone with a three-run homer in a game against the New York Yankees on Wednesday.
Typhoon Hinnamnor is expected to re-approach Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa after briefly moving away to the south.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says as of Thursday morning the violent typhoon was moving southwest at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour over waters 250 kilometers south of Miyakojima Island.