Honda is looking to become the world’s first carmaker to mass produce Level 3 autonomous vehicles, as per Reuters. These cars will be capable of driving themselves in congested motorway traffic while legally allowing drivers to take their eyes off the road.
A group comprising Japanese NGO members and students has launched a campaign urging the government to join the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The group made the announcement in an online event on Friday. Its members are asking Diet legislators and prefectural governors if they favor the treaty. Their views will then be published online.
Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Kajiyama Hiroshi has said the government is seeking to reach a conclusion as early as possible on how to dispose of radioactive water stored at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Water used to cool molten nuclear fuel from the March 2011 accident is treated to remove most of the radioactive material. However, tritium and some other substances remain in the water, and the amount of such water stored at the Fukushima plant has been increasing.
Business leaders in Japan have met to debate ways to simultaneously kick-start the economy and rein in the coronavirus.
Members of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, say they want to expand testing for the virus. At the same time, they want to streamline immigration procedures to help revive global economic activity.
Japan's chief cabinet secretary says the government will do its utmost to recover the country's tourism industry hit hard by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Suga Yoshihide expressed a goal of attracting 60 million foreign tourists in 2030.
Health minister Kato Katsunobu says Japan aims to approve remdesivir, the antiviral drug that may be used to treat coronavirus, in about one week after receiving an application from the pharmaceutical company.
The ministry would aim for swift approval through special, highly-simplified procedures only available for drugs in urgent need that have already been approved in other countries.
The Japanese minister in charge of coronavirus measures says the government aims to start cash handouts in May, to households suffering from falling income due to the outbreak.
Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi revealed the plan during a news conference on Tuesday.
The Japanese government says it has developed technology that can determine whether a person has the new coronavirus in just 15 minutes.
The device is made by a Japanese pharmaceutical company. A government official says the virus can be detected with new technology developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.
Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan plans to promote a four-day work week for care workers as part of work reform measures to attract more to the field.
Japan's health ministry estimates the prefecture will face a shortage of more than 4,700 of such caregivers in fiscal 2025.