Japanese health minister Tamura Norihisa says top priority will be given to quickly screening a COVID-19 vaccine co-developed by US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.
The comment indicates the screening will proceed based on a fast-track system that requires much simpler steps than conventional screening.
An expert panel advising Japan's health ministry has warned that if the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, medical and public health systems could be dealt a serious blow.
The panel said on Tuesday that cases are surging mainly in Hokkaido and metropolitan areas in and around Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.
Japanese health officials are urging people in all age groups to get influenza shots amid concerns about simultaneous outbreaks of flu and coronavirus infections.
Demand for flu vaccine is expected to surge this winter. The health ministry advised that people aged 65 or older should be given flu shots first from October 1.
A Japanese organization for protecting the rights of entertainers has asked the government to institute a mental health care system for people in the entertainment industry.
The Entertainers' Rights Association made the plea in a statement entitled "Suicides by Entertainers." It was posted on the group's website on Sunday.
Following the death of a prominent Japanese actor Takeuchi Yuko in an apparent suicide, the health ministry wants to remind the public that crisis counseling services are available.
The ministry posted on its website telephone numbers of services provided by municipalities and QR codes for non-profit organizations using social media.
Kyoto City in western Japan has decided to double the number of staff at public health offices by the end of September to better deal with novel coronavirus infections.
The city will move up hiring plans while confirming the wishes of new workers. It will also have staffing agencies send more medical nurses and public health nurses. It aims to have 66 workers by the end of this month.