A key gauge of business conditions in Japan has improved for the fourth month in a row, potentially fanning hopes of economic recovery even as the pandemic continues.
In particular, it shows sectors such as the auto industry could be shifting back into gear.
The operator of a storage facility in northern Japan is making arrangements with power companies to resume accepting shipments of highly radioactive nuclear waste from spent fuel reprocessed in Britain.
NHK has learned that Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited has started talks with utility companies to accept the nuclear waste again in the business year that begins next April.
The transition to a new US administration will have worldwide implications. People in Japan have been speaking about their expectations for the next president's handling of global issues.
Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide was among world leaders who congratulated Biden. On Twitter, Suga wrote that he's looking forward to further strengthening the US-Japan alliance.
The Japanese government hopes to build trust between Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and Joe Biden, who is projected to be the next US president.
Most Japanese government officials have reacted calmly to the US media reports that Biden is certain to win the presidential election.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach is expected to travel to Japan for the first time since the Tokyo Games were postponed due to the pandemic.
In March, Bach agreed with then Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo to postpone the games for one year, and later agreed to open the games on July 23rd, 2021.
NHK has learned that Japan's immigration authority will allow some foreigners who have refused deportation orders to stay with family members or supporters, outside of government facilities, if they meet certain conditions.
The Immigration Services Agency is working on a draft revision of the laws on immigration and deportation.
NHK has learned that Japan and China have agreed to resume round trip business travel between the two countries beginning in mid-November. It applies to both short- and long-term trips.
The government of Japan is gradually easing restrictions which it imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
As vote counting continues in the US presidential election, the Japanese government plans to strengthen communication with the US and other countries over the security situation in East Asia.
Some Japanese government officials have expressed concern about a possible political vacuum caused by a delay in determining the election's outcome.
More than 220 Japanese academic societies of liberal arts have jointly demanded that the government explain why it refused to appoint six nominees for membership in the country's top academic body.
Ten people, including university professors who serve as heads of societies in the fields of humanities and social sciences, released the joint statement at a news conference on Friday.
Japanese police say money-laundering cases using digital currency or e-money payment services nearly tripled in 2019 from the previous year.
The National Police Agency says businesses offering e-money payment services reported a total of 3,913 suspected money-laundering cases last year. That's an increase of 2,522 from 2018 and is 2.8 times the figure recorded a year earlier.
Japan confirmed 1,024 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, with a daily count exceeding 1,000 for the first time since late August.
This brings the cumulative total of confirmed cases in the country to 105,770 including 712 on a cruise ship. The cumulative total of confirmed deaths reached 1,816 including 13 on the cruise ship.
Japan's health ministry says coronavirus cluster infections were confirmed at more than 100 locations nationwide in the week through Monday.
The health ministry compiles weekly figures based on data from local governments.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu says the Japanese government will keep a close eye on developments regarding China's coast guard, including a planned legal revision outlining its responsibilities.
Kato told reporters on Thursday the government is committed to defending the lives and assets of the Japanese people, including fishing boats, as well as Japan's territorial waters and air space. He pledged to continue to monitor and patrol the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and deal calmly yet firmly with China.
Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has ruled out new nuclear plants or new reactors for Japan at this point, as the country aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.
Suga was answering questions from Constitutional Democratic Party leader Edano Yukio in the Lower House Budget Committee on Wednesday.