A life-size figure of a robot from the popular Japanese animated series "Mobile Suit Gundam" has been lit up for the winter season.
A mall in the southwestern Japanese city of Fukuoka set up the 25-meter-tall robot called Nu Gundam as part of its winter attractions.
After spending the summer convincing consumers to take socially distanced breaks from grim reality, advertisers are now returning to the pandemic as the central focus in holiday shopping campaigns launching this month.
U.S. companies from carmakers to retailers are under pressure to make the shopping season a success after retail sales crashed 21% earlier this year as millions of Americans lost jobs and cut their budgets. They face the challenge of convincing consumers to open their wallets for the holidays even as the coronavirus pandemic rages anew across the United States and Europe.
Experts have maintained the coronavirus alert level for Tokyo at the second highest on a four-point scale, and warned that vigilance is needed over the effects of the four-day holiday through Tuesday.
Officials of the Tokyo metropolitan government and experts on public health and infectious diseases met on Thursday to assess the coronavirus situation.
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.
Sources close to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government say experts recommend that the capital remain on the highest level of alert for the new coronavirus on the four-tier scale.
Experts on infectious diseases reportedly concluded on Tuesday that "infections appear to be spreading in Tokyo." The view was based on an analysis of the extent of the outbreak in the week leading up to Monday.
A major Japanese cell-phone carrier has found that trips between prefectures during the holiday period from the end of April to early May were significantly down from last year.
KDDI examined data from users' smartphones for the spring holiday period that ended on May 6. During this period, people were urged to stay home amid concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
Japan's state of emergency due to coronavirus outbreak continues to bring an unusual quiet to roads, transportation and tourist spots in the holiday period that began in late April.
On Saturday, the first day of the five-day consecutive holiday, popular destinations in Tokyo are almost deserted as people respond to calls to stay home.
Traffic was thin at major transportation hubs and highways throughout Japan at the start of the country's week-long spring holiday on Wednesday. This comes amid a government request for people to refrain from traveling due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Japan Railway group companies say less than 10 percent of non-reserved seats on Shinkansen bullet trains were occupied.
Few people were seen at major transportation hubs in Tokyo and highways were quiet throughout Japan at the start of the country's week-long spring holiday on Wednesday.
Japan Railway group companies say less than 10 percent of non-reserved seats on all Shinkansen bullet train lines were occupied on Wednesday morning.