More people appear to be commuting to work in Tokyo, despite the Japanese government's extended state of emergency declaration over the coronavirus.
The government issued the declaration on April 7 for Tokyo and six other prefectures, and has since extended it nationwide. People are still being encouraged to stay indoors, work from home and stagger commuting hours.
Japan's government says it may lift the nationwide state of emergency for the coronavirus outbreak before the planned end date of May 31. This would apply to some of the 13 prefectures now under special alert, as well as many other prefectures.
The government plans to discuss the matter at a meeting of its expert panel on Thursday.
Japan's health authorities say the country saw 65 new cases of the coronavirus and eight deaths on Sunday.
The number of confirmed infections stands at 15,842.
Japan's government says it may lift the nationwide state of emergency regarding the coronavirus outbreak before the planned end date of May 31 in many of the 34 prefectures that are not under special alert.
Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi said on an NHK program on Sunday the government will consider lifting the emergency declaration after listening to the opinions of an expert panel next week.
Outings declined in most prefectures across Japan on the first Saturday since the government extended the state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo released pedestrian traffic data collected from its base stations, without identifying users.
Flower farmers in Japan are facing a difficult time as the coronavirus outbreak dampens demand for flowers.
The Sukiya restaurant chain has decided to sell carnations for Mother's Day at about 700 of their 2,000 beef bowl restaurants across Japan.
Japan's health authorities say the country has not recorded any new coronavirus cases on Sunday as of 11:30 a.m.
The total number of confirmed infections stands at 15,777, including people who tested positive at airport quarantine stations.
In Japan, people are being advised to stay home this weekend after the government extended a nationwide state of emergency until the end of the month.
In Tokyo, 36 more people were confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus on Saturday. It was the seventh straight day the number of new cases in the capital was below 100.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says 36 more people were confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus on Saturday. That makes it the seventh straight day that the number of new cases in the capital was below 100.
Japan now has a total of over 15,700 confirmed infections. The list includes people tested at airport quarantine stations.
Health authorities in Japan have confirmed the first death from the coronavirus in the country's northeastern Tohoku region.
The Miyagi prefectural government said on Saturday the deceased had received treatment after testing positive for the virus.
The Japanese government plans to make a coronavirus contact-tracing app available by the end of this month.
The app records the data of smartphones that come within a certain distance of each other. People will then be alerted if they have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with the virus.
Informed sources say Japanese prosecutors questioned a Diet lawmaker couple earlier this month on a voluntary basis over their alleged violations of the election law.
The sources say the questioning took place during a holiday period in early May.
Japan's national debt has hit a new high for a fourth straight year.
The Finance Ministry says government debt stood at 1,114.54 trillion yen, or about 10.45 trillion dollars, at the end of March. That's an increase of about 104.85 billion dollars from a year earlier.
A group of researchers at the University of Tokyo has started clinical trials of a drug that could possibly treat people infected with the coronavirus.
Nafamostat mesylate is normally used for acute pancreatitis and other diseases that create blood clots. It is marketed under the brand name Futhan.