Two Japanese museums dedicated to documenting the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki plan to offer virtual tours online in cooperation with an international NGO devoted to the elimination of nuclear weapons.

They are planning the events as the number of international visitors to these museums has dropped sharply due to the coronavirus pandemic.

NHK has learned that a risk simulation using artificial intelligence found that contact tracing is the key to controlling the spread of coronavirus brought by tourists.

Japan's government-sponsored "Go To Travel" campaign, aimed at boosting domestic tourism with offers of subsidies and discounts, begins on Wednesday. Tours to and from Tokyo are excluded from the campaign.

Japan's health minister says he wants to raise the country's coronavirus testing capacity at airports to prepare for easing of travel restrictions.

Kato Katsunobu told reporters on Tuesday that he plans to raise the number of PCR tests at airports from the current maximum of 2,300 per day to 10,000 by the end of September. He said he will do so by encouraging the use of saliva in such tests.

NHK has learned that Japan's space agency is planning to send its asteroid probe Hayabusa2 on another 10-year mission after bringing back samples from the asteroid Ryugu.

Hayabusa2 is scheduled to approach Earth on December 6 to drop a capsule containing the samples onto an Australian desert after a six-year journey.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide has pledged efforts to bring home nationals abducted by North Korea in response to the desperate wishes of their families.

Suga and a group of prefectural governors seeking to rescue the abductees met at the prime minister's office on Tuesday.

Japan's trade minister says the government will decide when to start its "Go To Event" campaign while closely monitoring the extent of the coronavirus outbreak.

The campaign is part of a government-proposed package aimed at spurring consumer spending, as the economy has been hit hard by the pandemic. It is aimed at offering discounts on tickets for concerts, sporting events and movies.

Tokyo is reporting another 237 confirmed infections --- well above the numbers seen when businesses began reopening. But the government says it can balance plans to kick start the economy and the higher case numbers.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide said, "The government's basic stance is to prevent the virus from spreading, and continue a phased reopening of the economy."

Eating grilled eels in this season has been a long-standing tradition in Japan. This year consumers will be pleased to see the price drop slightly.

Japan's Fisheries Agency says the domestic catch of juvenile Japanese eels for cultivation between last November and April was 17.1 tons -- the highest level in six years.

NHK has learned that the Japanese government plans to set a new goal to have women take on more leadership positions in the workplace after it failed to achieve an initial target set for this year.

The government had aimed to increase the proportion of female leaders to around 30 percent by 2020. But there are still only a small number of women in management positions in corporations and the government.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials say 237 new cases of coronavirus infection were confirmed on Tuesday.

It's the first time in three days that the daily count of new cases exceeded 200.

Japan's government is again shifting its policy on a major campaign to shore up tourism hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

Transport and tourism minister Akaba Kazuyoshi now says people will not have to pay cancellation fees for trips to and from Tokyo, which have been excluded from the campaign.

Japan's minister in charge of the coronavirus response says he'll seek experts' views on the planned easing of attendance limits for major events on August 1.

Nishimura Yasutoshi said on Tuesday that he'll ask experts at a government subcommittee meeting on Wednesday to analyze the latest infection trends.

Tokyo is expected to report about 230 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko told reporters in the morning that the figure is still being checked, but she expects it will surpass 200 and reach about 230.

Japan's health ministry has set up a new team aimed at leading negotiations with overseas developers of coronavirus vaccines.

Health minister Kato Katsunobu revealed on Monday that negotiations between the team and pharmaceutical companies are underway as part of efforts to secure vaccines for the country.