Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu is visiting Britain from Wednesday to discuss a bilateral trade agreement.

Motegi will hold talks with British International Trade Secretary Liz Truss in London.

Public health officials in Tokyo have started examining nightlife establishments and entertainment venues to see whether they are taking steps against coronavirus infections.

Officials from the public health center in Edogawa Ward began inspections on Tuesday.

More than 1,200 new cases of coronavirus infections were reported across Japan on Tuesday. In the past month, the number of people being treated in hospitals has surged more than five times.

Tokyo has the most infections. A total of 309 were reported on Tuesday--- the 8th straight day the capital's tally topped the 200 mark.

A long-running wartime labor lawsuit in South Korea against a Japanese company appears to be entering a new phase. The case has damaged relations between the two countries. A court order that took effect on Tuesday could widen that rift by allowing assets to be seized from Nippon Steel.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide said, "The Supreme Court ruling and the related legal procedures are clearly breaching international law."

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says the government will carry out a thorough review of national security strategy, including missile defense.

Former defense minister Onodera Itsunori heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's national security panel. He visited Abe on Tuesday to present a proposal on missile defense formulated by the party.

Health officials say the number of coronavirus patients receiving treatment at hospitals across Japan has shot up more than five-fold in the space of just one month.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said on Tuesday that 4,034 in-patients were in hospital for treatment as of July 29. This compared to 696 in-patients four weeks earlier, on July 1.

Tokyo Metropolitan government officials confirmed 309 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday.

The daily tally in Tokyo topped 200 for the eighth straight day.

Japan's health minister Kato Katsunobu has hinted at the possibility of another nationwide state of emergency if infections of the novel coronavirus surge.

Kato told reporters on Tuesday that he is aware local authorities are taking measures to contain infections. But he said the government could declare another state of emergency if the number of cases rises rapidly despite such efforts.

Japan's government says it will keep all options open, in response to South Korea's moves to sell off the assets of a Japanese firm due to a wartime labor lawsuit.

A South Korean court said that as of Tuesday, legal procedures to notify the Japanese side of the asset seizure order were deemed complete.

The mid-summer holidays in Japan are a time when many people visit their hometowns and family. Ahead of the "bon" holidays next week, the government plans to set guidelines to prevent travelers from spreading the coronavirus.

Some local leaders are worried that people living in city areas may spread the virus when they visit their smaller locales for family reunions.

The Japanese government wants Shinkansen bullet trains to have more space for passengers with physical disabilities.

The transport minister has suggested that the trains on the nation's busiest line connecting Tokyo and Osaka should each accommodate up to six wheelchairs.

Summer fishing for octopus is at its peak in the Kanmon Straits off Kitakyushu City in western Japan.

The mollusks from the area are known to be fat, chewy and sweet as they grow in fast-moving, churning tides.

Authorities in Japan are racing to contain a surge in coronavirus infections, ahead of upcoming summer holidays. Tokyo remains the major hotspot. Metropolitan government officials confirmed 258 new cases in the capital on Monday.

It's the seventh consecutive day with more than 200 infections. Across the country, the total number of infections has topped 40,000.

A survey conducted by NHK's Hiroshima bureau has found that about 70 percent of young Americans think that nuclear weapons are unnecessary.

The station conducted an online survey this year on three groups of people between the ages of 18 and 34, ahead of the 75th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.