The Japanese government says it will tighten entry restrictions on travelers from the United Kingdom, in response to the spread there of what is said to be a highly contagious variant of the new coronavirus.
Some neighboring countries have banned passenger flights from Britain.
Japanese authorities reported 2,688 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday.
They reported 47 deaths, including 12 in Osaka.
An expert panel advising Japan's health ministry says the spread of the coronavirus continues nationwide.
The panel said on Tuesday that the northern island of Hokkaido has seen a clear reduction in new cases, but that is not the case anywhere else in the country.
The total number of coronavirus infections in Japan has topped 200,000.
So far on Monday, 41 new cases have been reported across the country, pushing up the total to 200,001.
Japanese authorities had reported 2,496 new cases of the coronavirus as of 8 p.m. on Sunday.
They reported 36 deaths, including six in Osaka, five each in Hokkaido and Aichi, and four in Nara.
Dozens of skiers trapped for 11 hours in a cottage on a ski slope in northern Japan have been freed.
The road leading to Inakawa ski resort in the city of Yuzawa in Akita Prefecture was blocked by a fallen power pole and toppled trees.
Japanese authorities reported 2,991 new coronavirus cases as of 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Thirty-eight people died, including 10 in Hokkaido, nine in Osaka, five in Tokyo, two each in Chiba, Iwate and Kanagawa, and one each in Nara, Miyazaki, Gifu, Ehime, Aichi, Tochigi, Gunma and Shizuoka.
Japanese authorities had reported 2,984 new coronavirus cases as of 9 p.m. on Saturday.
They reported 37 deaths, including ten in Hokkaido, nine in Osaka and five in Tokyo.
Weather officials in Japan warn of more heavy snow this weekend across many mountainous areas and the side of the country facing the Japan Sea.
The Meteorological Agency says a strong cold air mass and an atmospheric pressure pattern typical for the season have brought heavy snow to regions from Chugoku through to Hokkaido.
Heavy snowfall in northwest Japan stranded more than 2,000 vehicles on highways Thursday. Although that number had fallen to at least 670 by Friday afternoon (Japan time), the company that manages the highways said that it likely would take until Saturday morning for about 700 rescuers to free the remaining cars. Snow had accumulated to several feet deep in places, including at a toll complex.
Japan's Self-Defense Force has sent troops to deliver food, gasoline and blankets to stranded drivers as well as to help clear snows. According to video by NBC News, some drivers abandoned their vehicles on the road.
The Japanese government has decided to develop a new type of long-range "standoff missile" that can attack targets from outside enemy range.
The government approved the new missile defense policy at a Cabinet meeting on Friday.
Weather officials in Japan are warning of more heavy snow this weekend, mainly in coastal areas along the Sea of Japan.
A strong cold air mass brought a record snowfall of about 200 centimeters to mountainous areas in Niigata and neighboring Gunma prefectures from Tuesday to Thursday.
Record-breaking snowfall continues to down power lines and close off traffic arteries in northern and western Japan --- with little relief in sight. For some it's meant many hours stuck on the highway --- without food and with nowhere to go.
About 2,000 vehicles were stranded on this expressway which links Tokyo to Niigata - on Wednesday.
The Japanese government has decided to develop a new type of long-range "standoff missile" that can attack targets from outside enemy range.
The government approved the new missile defense policy at a Cabinet meeting on Friday.