Japan's top government spokesperson says the government will act swiftly on the child abuse cases revealed at a nursery.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu spoke to reporters on Monday about the cases at the Sakura Hoikuen nursery in Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture, in central Japan.
A former Japanese abductee who returned from North Korea 20 years ago has called on Japan's government to take action to immediately bring back other people who were abducted.
Chimura Yasushi made the urgent appeal at a rally in the city of Fukui, central Japan, on Sunday.
The Japanese government has decided to step up measures against highly venomous fire ants by designating them as an invasive alien species that requires urgent action.
Government officials made the decision amid a rise in cases nationwide involving fire ants. They fear the species, indigenous to South America, are on the brink of becoming established in Japan.
Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has strongly urged Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to act positively on maritime and security issues around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
Wang made a courtesy visit on Suga at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday. They talked for about 20 minutes.
Japan's minister in charge of anti-coronavirus measures says the government plans to announce as early as Thursday guidelines for prefectural governors to take tougher measures against businesses that defy the government's request to stay closed.
Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi spoke to reporters on Wednesday after he met with Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko.
The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the plunge in Tokyo stocks, caused by anxiety about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the global economy.
The meeting brought together senior officials from the BOJ, the Finance Ministry and the Financial Services Agency.
Relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea have strongly urged the Japanese government to take measures to repatriate their loved ones as soon as possible.
The relatives, including Shigeo Iizuka and Akihiro Arimoto, met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Friday.
Japan's defense minister urged Beijing to work toward improving the situation regarding China's increasing maritime activities ahead of President Xi Jinping's planned spring visit to Japan.
Taro Kono made the call Tuesday during a speech at Washington-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies.