Japan's defense white paper warns that the coronavirus pandemic may expose competition among countries seeking to expand their influence.

The annual report was presented at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. It says China has been making "propaganda efforts" amid growing social uncertainty and confusion caused by the spread of infections.

A new onslaught of heavy rain may bring even more flooding and landslides to Japan. More than 10,000 people in the country's west have been advised to leave their homes as severe weather refuses to let up.

Officials issued the evacuation orders and advisories Tuesday, after a river in Shimane Prefecture burst its banks.

Japan's asteroid probe Hayabusa2 will return a capsule containing samples from the asteroid Ryugu to Earth in early December.

Japan's education ministry announced that Hayabusa2 is scheduled to drop the capsule onto an Australian desert on December 6.

An expert says almost the same amount of water vapor may have flowed into a rain front when record rainfall hit Kyushu earlier this month as when a rain disaster devastated western Japan in 2018.

Professor Tsuboki Kazuhisa of Nagoya University estimated how much vapor flowed into the stationary rain front using data from the Meteorological Agency.

Japanese weather officials warn that continuing heavy rain in some parts of the country may trigger life-threatening disasters. Click to watch our NHK World meteorologist provide the latest details and the rain forecast.

An NHK poll shows that nearly 70 percent of people in Japan want the government to prioritize the fight against the coronavirus over the economy.

The telephone survey was conducted over the weekend. More than 1,200 people responded.

Sources tell NHK that Japan's government is considering allowing corporate executives from the United States and European countries to enter the country on certain conditions.

The government plans to allow in businesspeople from countries where coronavirus outbreaks have been largely contained.

Heavy rains in the northern part of Japan's Kyushu island are threatening the territory with landslides and flooding.

The Meteorological Agency says warm, damp air is flowing towards a seasonal rain front hovering around the Japanese archipelago, destabilizing atmospheric conditions. Rain clouds are developing in northern Kyushu and the Chugoku region.

More heavy rains are expected in parts of Japan, including Kyushu and Tokai, which have already been hit by record rainfall.

The Meteorological Agency says warm, damp air is flowing towards a seasonal rain front hovering around the Japanese archipelago, destabilizing atmospheric conditions. Rain clouds are developing in northern Kyushu and the Chugoku region.

Experts are urging people across Japan to remain vigilant, despite a slight reprieve Monday in recent daily coronavirus numbers. Officials in Okinawa are also concerned over a spike in cases connected to the US military.

Tokyo officials confirmed 119 new cases on Monday. The daily tally had topped 200 for four days in a row. The increase brings the total number of confirmed cases to more than 8,000 in the city of 14 million people.

Much of Japan can expect even more damaging rain over the coming days. The Meteorological Agency is calling on people in both eastern and western Japan to be on alert for landslides and flooding.

The weather system is set to batter areas of Kyushu, already struggling with the aftermath of earlier downpours.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says the government will compile a financial package of more than 3.7 billion dollars to help regions in the southwest and elsewhere left battered by record rainfall.

Abe revealed the plan to reporters as he visited the disaster-stricken city of Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Monday.

Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has visited a village in Kumamoto Prefecture that was severely damaged by the recent torrential downpours.

Abe arrived at Kagoshima Airport on an Air Self-Defense Force transport plane on Monday morning and went to Kuma Village.

Tokyo officials confirmed 119 new coronavirus cases in the Japanese capital on Monday... a slight reprieve after the daily tally topped 200 for four days in a row.

The increase brings the total number of confirmed cases to more than 8,000.