Heavy rains are pounding parts of Kyushu and Shikoku. Weather officials warn that wide areas of western and eastern Japan may also be subject to more rain through Sunday.
The Meteorological Agency says a lingering seasonal rain front and a low-pressure system are causing unstable atmospheric conditions in western Japan.
Heavy rain is pounding parts of northern Kyushu. Weather officials warn that wide areas of western and eastern Japan may also be hit through Sunday.
The Meteorological Agency says a lingering seasonal rain front and a low pressure system are making atmospheric conditions unstable in western Japan.
Japan's health ministry plans to improve its online data-sharing system on people infected with the coronavirus in order to encourage more usage by local governments.
Public health authorities launched the system in late May. It allows the central government, local governments and medical institutions across the country to share data. Information entered into the system includes the names of people who underwent PCR tests and their results.
An online survey has revealed that one in four full-time homemakers in Japan don't want their husbands to continue to work from home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Meiji Yasuda Research Institute surveyed 1,100 men and women with one or more children aged six or younger in June.
New coronavirus cases are again rising in Japan. The nation's daily tally surpassed 900 for the first time on Thursday.
Tokyo reported 366 new cases, followed by Osaka Prefecture with 104, Aichi Prefecture with 97, Fukuoka Prefecture with 66 and Saitama Prefecture with 64.
Track and field events in Japan started up again this month after being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The return to action means Japanese sprinter Cambridge Aska can finally pick up the pace with his preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.
The Games, which were postponed, are set to open exactly one year from Thursday.
Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko says a record 366 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the Japanese capital on Thursday.
This is the first time the daily total has exceeded 300 in Tokyo. The tally has now topped 100 for 15 straight days.
Major tourist spots in Tokyo received relatively small numbers of visitors on Thursday, the start of a four-day weekend.
Many people are believed to have been deterred from going out by a recent resurgence of coronavirus cases and the Tokyo governor's calls to stay at home as well as rainy weather.
Chubu Centrair International Airport in central Japan saw more passengers than usual on Thursday, the first day of a four-day weekend, while staff implemented anti-coronavirus measures.
Long lines formed at check-in counters.
NHK has learned that Japanese police have arrested two doctors on suspicion of killing a woman with a progressive degenerative disease at her request.
Investigative sources say the 51-year-old woman was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and told the people around her that she wanted to undergo euthanasia. ALS gradually paralyzes sufferers.
A large number of people visited a famed food market in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido on Thursday, the start of a four-day weekend.
More than 40 fishmongers and other workers serve a variety of delicacies fresh from the sea and farms at Washo Ichiba market, which is located in the center of Kushiro city.
NHK has learned that more than 300 new cases of coronavirus infection were confirmed in Tokyo on Thursday.
The figure is the highest on record for the Japanese capital, and has exceeded the 100-mark for 15 days in a row.
The speed limit on expressways in Japan will be raised from the current 100 kilometers per hour to 120 kilometers per hour on certain sections.
The current limit has been in place since the country's first expressway opened in 1963.
An NHK survey on the Tokyo Olympic Games, postponed for a year, has found that sport-related bodies expect organizers to decide at least six months prior to the scheduled opening whether the event will take place.
Thursday marks one year until the opening of the Tokyo Games, which were delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.