The Tokyo Metropolitan Government said it confirmed 313 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday.

That is 57 more infections than last Sunday.

Japan's internal affairs ministry says a record number of people used a government program to move out of urban areas and work to revitalize rural communities in fiscal 2020.

The ministry calls the participants in the program "Local Vitalization Cooperators." Commissioned by local governments, the participants work in rural areas for one to three years while receiving some financial support.

Japan's Environment Ministry has decided to allow drivers to park their eco-friendly vehicles at some national parks and gardens for free, starting in April.

The ministry made the decision as part of its effort to promote vehicles that do not emit carbon dioxide.

A popular cherry blossom viewing site in Tokyo, Ueno Park, was packed on Saturday, the first weekend since a state of emergency was lifted for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures.

The park's main street has been divided in the center to allow people to keep to one side so there is less chance they come into contact with others.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 430 new cases of coronavirus infection on Saturday.

The figure is up 88 from a week ago. The daily tally has posted a week-on-week increase for eight straight days.

Japan and the United States are mulling a joint statement affirming that Article Five of the Japan-US Security Treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The development will follow a meeting of the leaders of the two countries.

The article obliges the US to defend territories under Japan's administrative control.

A volcanic hazard map for Mount Fuji in central Japan has been revised for the first time in 17 years, doubling the estimated volume of lava flows in the event of a major eruption.

The map was presented to an online meeting of a Mount Fuji disaster management council on Friday. The council is made up of several officials, including those of the central government and authorities of Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, which straddle the mountain, and neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture.

A group of Japanese high school students and teachers has submitted a petition to the education ministry calling for a review of school rules that could be excessively strict.

The group encourages young people to participate in political activities. Members delivered about 19,000 signatures they collected online to parliamentary vice education minister Wanibuchi Yoko on Friday.

Japan has reported more than 2,000 coronavirus cases so far on Friday, reaching a level not seen in one and a half months. In rural areas, some worry the surge could bring communities to the point of disaster.

The northern prefecture of Yamagata went from reporting no cases at all in the first week of March to recording its second highest daily count ever on Friday.

Lawmakers in Japan have rubber-stamped a record budget. It's worth more than 106 trillion yen, or about 1 trillion dollars, for the new fiscal year that starts on April 1st.

The Diet's Upper House approved the budget on Friday.

The defense chiefs of Japan and Britain have confirmed that their countries will work together to have North Korea abandon ballistic missiles of all ranges.

Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo spoke with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace by phone on Thursday. The North fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan earlier in the day.

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has expressed hope for discussing North Korean issues, including the North's recent firing of ballistic missiles, at an upcoming bilateral summit with US President Joe Biden.

Suga was speaking at an Upper House committee meeting on Friday.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 376 new cases of coronavirus infection on Friday.

The figure is up 73 from a week ago. The daily tally has posted a week-on-week increase for seven straight days.

Geisha entertainers at a hot spring resort near Tokyo are asking for financial aid as demand for their performances plummets due to the pandemic.

A group of the traditional entertainers presented a letter to officials of the Kanagawa prefectural government on Thursday.