Japanese authorities have confirmed that 1,232 new coronavirus cases were reported across the country on Saturday.
The total number of cases in Japan now stands at 55,905. That includes those found during airport quarantine checks, as well as 712 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked near Tokyo this year.
People in Japan are enduring a "hazardous" heat wave. The temperature is again likely to approach 40 degrees Celsius in some areas on Sunday.
On Saturday, temperatures of 35 degrees or higher were registered at 278 of the 921 observation points in the country. That's the largest number so far this summer.
Weather officials says they expect "dangerously" high temperatures of almost 40 degrees Celsius will continue across Japan through Sunday.
The Meteorological Agency says a high pressure system over western and eastern Japan increased temperatures on Saturday.
Japanese and US museums linked by the kamikaze attacks of World War Two have formed a sister partnership 75 years after the end of the war.
The Chiran Peace Museum in Japan and the Battleship Missouri Memorial held a virtual signing ceremony on Saturday, the day Japan commemorates the end of the war.
People in Japan are commemorating the end of World War Two -- 75 years on. A government-organized ceremony was held in Tokyo on Saturday to honor those who died in the war.
About 550 people attended the event held every August 15th. The number this year was the smallest ever because of the coronavirus. Attendance was less than one-tenth of last year's.
A private research firm says 52 listed companies in Japan have offered early or voluntary retirement programs to employees so far this year.
Tokyo Shoko Research says the offers were made to a total of 9,323 employees between January 1 and August 13. It also says offers have surged since last month due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide says the Japanese government continues to watch the situation in Hong Kong with grave concern.
Suga spoke to reporters on Tuesday after Hong Kong police arrested pro-democracy activists and a media tycoon under the territory's new national security law.
Japanese weather officials are forecasting temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius for some parts of the country. They are urging people to be on the alert for heat stroke.
The Meteorological Agency says sweltering weather continued in many parts of Japan on Monday. A daytime high of 38.6 degrees, which was the highest of the season, was recorded in the city of Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture.
The Japanese tradition of visiting ancestral graves during the Bon summer holidays has been largely disrupted by the new coronavirus outbreak. Some families are asking a local cemetery headstone maker in the western prefecture of Tottori to send its staff to their family graves.
On Monday, a staff member was seen cleaning and polishing the headstone of a family grave on behalf of a woman who lives in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.
The number of people using public transport in Japan is much lower than normal for the time of year due to a surge in coronavirus infections. The Bon holiday period normally sees many visiting their hometown.
The Japan Road Traffic Information Center reported that vehicles were backed up for more than 10 kilometers on three major expressways in the Tokyo area before noon on Monday.
NHK has learned that Japan's first supply of an experimental coronavirus vaccine being developed by British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca may be provided between next January and March.
Japanese health ministry officials reported the development to NHK. This is the first time that a schedule for a domestic coronavirus vaccine supply has emerged.
Japan was blanketed by sweltering heat on Sunday. Temperatures in many areas rose above 35 degrees Celsius, putting people's health at risk.
It was the hottest day of the year so far in many places. In central Tokyo, the daytime high was just under 35 degrees.
Japan is to send experts from its international emergency relief team to Mauritius on Monday at the request of the island nation's government.
A large amount of fuel has been spilling from a bulk carrier, the Wakashio, which ran aground on July 25. The ship was chartered by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines.
Sweltering weather is hitting Japan on Friday, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius in the Kanto region and elsewhere.
The Meteorological Agency says a high-pressure system is covering Pacific coastal areas of western Japan through the southern Tohoku region in northeastern Japan, bringing hot, sunny weather.