The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is urging people to stay home over the holiday weekend starting on Thursday. The call comes the same day the nation hits an all-time high for daily cases.

Tokyo officials met with experts on Wednesday and decided to maintain the highest level of alert. Over the past week, an average of more than 230 new cases have been reported each day. Untraceable cases are on the rise.

Japan's government is set to begin talks with 12 countries and territories on mutually allowing entry of businesspeople.

The government task force met on Wednesday to discuss easing the entry ban on foreigners which has been in place to prevent coronavirus infections coming into Japan from overseas.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is urging people to stay home over the holiday weekend starting on Thursday.

The capital remains on the highest level of alert for the coronavirus, as newly confirmed cases bring its total virus count above 10,000.

Japan's Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi says current restrictions on large-scale events will be in place through the end of August.

The government had planned to allow events with more than 5,000 participants, filling facilities to about half their capacity, starting on August 1.

Japan's Coast Guard says Chinese patrol ships have been spotted just outside Japanese territorial waters in the East China Sea for 100 straight days.

Coast guard officials say four Chinese patrol vessels were navigating in the contiguous zone outside the territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has called on people to refrain from going out over the four consecutive holiday weekend from Thursday amid a surge in coronavirus infections in the capital.

Koike said at an extraordinary news conference on Wednesday that infections are spreading in wider areas and across generations.

Japan's minister in charge of the coronavirus response has asked a government subcommittee on the virus for its views on easing restrictions on events.

Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi made the request at a meeting of the subcommittee in Tokyo on Wednesday. Other participants included health minister Kato Katsunobu and subcommittee chair Omi Shigeru.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says 238 coronavirus cases were newly confirmed on Wednesday.

The daily tally exceeded the 200 mark for the second day in a row, and has been in the triple-digits for 14 days straight.

Sources close to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government say experts recommend that the capital remain on the highest level of alert for the new coronavirus on the four-tier scale.

Experts on infectious diseases reportedly concluded on Tuesday that "infections appear to be spreading in Tokyo." The view was based on an analysis of the extent of the outbreak in the week leading up to Monday.

The Japanese government is pushing forward with its plan to reopen the economy. It comes as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise across the country.

Part of the government's strategy is the "Go To Travel" campaign. It officially kicked off on Wednesday and offers discounts on transportation and accommodation, and coupons that can be used at tourist facilities and souvenir shops.

The number of coronavirus cases in Tokyo is certain to top 10,000 on Wednesday, as the metropolitan government is expected to report more than 230 new infections.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko told reporters in the morning that the figure is not yet definitive, but that she expects it to be about 230 or 240.

The Japanese government's travel incentive program has started to promote domestic tourism hit hard by the coronavirus.

The "Go To Travel" campaign involves discounts for travel costs, and issuing coupons that can be used at tourist facilities and souvenir shops. Discounts became available on Wednesday.

The President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee says the development of coronavirus vaccines and treatments will be a key factor in deciding whether to hold the Olympics and Paralympics next year.

NHK interviewed Mori Yoshiro as Thursday marks one year before the planned opening of the Olympics. Due to the pandemic, the Games have been postponed by one year.

Defense Minister Kono Taro says the US military in Japan will begin releasing details about the number of people infected with the coronavirus at military facilities in the country.

Infection cases have been confirmed among US military personnel in Okinawa Prefecture and elsewhere. But the cases had only been reported to some municipal governments.