Chinese tourists visiting Japan are buying facemasks to take home to protect themselves from the pneumonia outbreak believed to be caused by a new coronavirus.
Many Chinese travelers were buying masks at a drugstore in a departure lobby at Narita Airport, outside Tokyo, on Thursday.
Senior officials from Japan and Russia have held talks regarding joint economic activities on four Russian-controlled islands claimed by Japan.
They met in Moscow Wednesday for more than four hours. Japan sent officials from the ministries of foreign affairs, economy and the environment, as well as from tourism and fishery agencies.
Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has called into question Japan's financing of a coal-fired power plant in Vietnam.
Environment Ministry officials say a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation and others are planning to build the Vung Ang 2 power plant in Vietnam's Ha Tinh Province. The government-affiliated Japan Bank for International Cooperation is among those considering funding the project.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the Japan-US alliance is an immovable pillar for protecting world peace.
On January 19, 1960, the revised Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security was signed by Abe's grandfather, Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, and US President Dwight Eisenhower.
A Japanese government survey shows that more than half of the respondents think the country accepts only a limited number of refugees. But only around a quarter want a more welcoming approach.
The Cabinet Office conducted its first survey on the country's immigration policy in November of last year, covering 3,000 people aged 18 or older. 1,572 people responded.
Sunday marks ten years since Japan Airlines went bankrupt. The carrier has succeeded in rebuilding its business but now faces new challenges, including the expansion of flight routes and global warming.
The company failed on January 19, 2010. The government bailed out JAL to the tune of about 3 billion dollars. JAL laid off 16,000 workers as part of its restructuring plan. That was one-third of its workforce.
Japan's defense minister has decided to hold a meeting with defense chiefs from Pacific island nations in connection with China's growing maritime presence in the region.
The ministry is to invite officials, including the defense ministers of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Tonga, to the conference in Tokyo in April. Invitations are expected to extend to representatives of the United States, Australia, and France.
Unified college and university entrance examinations are underway for high school students and graduates across Japan.
The two days of tests began on Saturday. About 550,000 applicants are sitting for this year's exams at 689 sites.
A Japanese government survey shows about 80 percent of respondents support maintaining the death penalty.
The Cabinet Office conducted the survey on the country's use of capital punishment in November 2019, covering 3,000 people aged 18 or older. 1,572 people responded.
The London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) has launched its TX plug-in hybrid taxi in Japan.
Japan's Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is likely to take paternity leave sometime in the next three months, now that his son has been born.
Koizumi told reporters on Friday that his wife had given birth to the baby. Koizumi's wife is a freelance TV presenter.
Friday marks 25 years since the devastating earthquake that struck Hyogo Prefecture and nearby areas in western Japan, leaving 6,434 people dead.
The tremor known as the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred on January 17, 1995, destroying many buildings and causing fires.
Some Japanese government officials are concerned that Washington may pressure Tokyo to pay significantly more for stationing US forces in Japan.
Bilateral negotiations on the cost will likely shift into high gear as early as this summer, with the current five-year agreement on the costs of supporting US forces due to expire in March 2021.
A World Health Organization official says the first case of a new strain of coronavirus in Japan is unlikely to immediately lead to a major outbreak in the country.
Takeshi Kasai, head of the WHO's Western Pacific Regional Office, was speaking to NHK on Thursday. His office covers 37 countries and territories in East and Southeast Asia.