A panel of experts has basically approved the Japanese government's plan to offer coronavirus vaccines first to medical workers, elderly people, and those with pre-existing conditions.
The meeting of the panel on Friday was attended by the minister in charge of the coronavirus response, Nishimura Yasutoshi, and health minister Kato Katsunobu.
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.
Computer security experts in Japan are warning of an increased risk of cyberattacks, as many business people telecommute and use their computers in less secure environments.
The National center of Incident readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity notes that the coronavirus outbreak has changed the way people use computers.
Experts advising Japan's government on the coronavirus plan to set up a series of indexes to help local authorities gauge the spread of the outbreak in their regions.
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said on Thursday that unlike in April, it is not currently necessary to declare a state of emergency.
NHK has learned that the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases has drawn up a set of guidelines on diagnosis of seasonal influenza and COVID-19.
The association compiled the guidelines to advise hospitals and clinics on how to deal with the diseases.
A government panel of experts has proposed assessing Japan's coronavirus outbreak in four stages, so that necessary countermeasures can be taken before the situation worsens.
The panel came up with the idea at a meeting on Friday held amid a rise in nationwide infections.
An expert advisory panel to Japan's health ministry has warned that coronavirus infections are rapidly picking up in some regional cities.
The panel on Thursday said infections are spreading from Tokyo to regional areas since the lifting of the state of emergency in late May. They said cases are increasing in regional cities, mainly at nightclubs and restaurants that are not likely to be following prevention guidelines.
Japan's minister in charge of the coronavirus response says he'll seek experts' views on the planned easing of attendance limits for major events on August 1.
Nishimura Yasutoshi said on Tuesday that he'll ask experts at a government subcommittee meeting on Wednesday to analyze the latest infection trends.
Experts working for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have raised the level of concern about the coronavirus outbreak in the city to the highest level. They used strong language when stating that the virus appears to be spreading.
The experts raised the level from three to four on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's four-tier scale.
Japan's newly established subcommittee on coronavirus measures has called for thorough testing of people with a high risk of having the pathogen.
The head of the government's subcommittee, Omi Shigeru, spoke at a news conference after the group's first meeting on Monday. Omi is also the chief of Japan Community Health care Organization.
A government panel of experts on Monday reaffirmed that the rate of newly confirmed coronavirus cases is on the decline in Japan, but that a resurgence could overwhelm medical systems. They agreed that it is desirable for the current restrictions to remain in place for the time being.
But the panel also worked out a set of proposals for what it calls "new social behavior" that should become new norms in regions where the spread of the virus appears to have been limited.
A team of experts in Japan says more than 400,000 people would die from the new coronavirus nationwide if no measures are taken to contain infections.
The health ministry set up the team to help halt the spread of the virus. They reported their estimate on Wednesday.
A Japanese government panel of experts will present its latest views on the country's measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
The outline of the panel's views has been revealed in advance of a briefing that will take place on Thursday evening.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will listen to the views of an expert panel before deciding whether to end the temporary closure of schools nationwide and lift a request to avoid holding large-scale events.
Both measures have been taken due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus.