Japan's governing party has begun studying ways to make the country's pharmaceutical industry more competitive. The move comes as Japan falls behind in the global race to develop coronavirus vaccines.

US and European giants like Pfizer have taken the lead. China and Russia have also developed their own shots and are engaged in vaccine diplomacy.

A tsunami learning facility has opened in the northeastern Japanese city of Ishinomaki, almost 10 years after the city was devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

A nonprofit group spent 90 million yen, or about 830,000 dollars, to open the facility as part of its activities to pass on the lessons of the March 11, 2011 disaster.

Japan's communications minister says a senior bureaucrat has been transferred after wining and dining with the president of the telecom giant NTT. Takeda Ryota says the official's actions may have violated the ethics code for public servants, which bans them from receiving gifts or being entertained by interested parties.

The official in question is Taniwaki Yasuhiko, vice minister for policy coordination at the ministry. Takeda says Taniwaki has been transferred to the minister's secretariat.

Residents of a town in northern Japan, which was hit hard by 2011 earthquakes and tsunami, have tried out new evacuation stairs that could save lives.

When the massive tsunami hit nearly 10 years ago, some residents of the affected areas climbed up the slope of a highway to safety.

The White House says US President Joe Biden will hold an online meeting with the leaders of Japan, Australia and India on Friday in the first top-level talks by the four countries known as the "Quad."

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced on Tuesday that topics at the talks will include coronavirus responses and economic cooperation.

A Japanese government panel of experts warns that there is a possibility that powerful earthquakes will occur off the northeastern part of the country for years to come.

The Earthquake Research Committee on Tuesday gave its assessment of seismic activities off the Pacific coast of the Tohoku region over the decade since a massive quake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.

Japanese medical equipment maker Terumo says it will produce syringes capable of drawing seven doses per vial of a coronavirus vaccine.

The announcement comes amid Japanese efforts to secure special syringes that can draw six doses from a single vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Conventional syringes used in Japan draw only five doses.

The minister in charge of Japan's COVID-19 inoculation program says the government will consider obtaining syringes that can draw seven doses from a single vial of a coronavirus vaccine.

Regulatory Reform Minister Kono Taro, who also oversees vaccination efforts, referred to a report from a hospital in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture. The report said seven doses could be obtained from a single vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine if insulin syringes are used.

Japan's Cabinet has approved a new policy for the reconstruction of areas in the country's northeastern Tohoku region, affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami as well as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.

The Cabinet on Tuesday agreed on the plan ahead of March 11 which marks 10 years since the quake and tsunami.

Japan's consumers held back on spending for the second-straight month in January, as a resurgence in coronavirus cases kept people close to home.

A survey by the internal affairs ministry shows that households with two or more people spent an average of 267,760 yen, or about 2,500 dollars. That's down 6.1 percent from a year earlier, adjusted for inflation.

NHK has learned that special syringes could increase the number of doses per vial for COVID-19 vaccines developed by British and US companies.

Japan's health ministry has signed a contract with British drug company AstraZeneca for 120 million doses. It also made a deal to buy 50 million doses from US biotechnology firm Moderna. The ministry is currently examining the vaccines developed by the firms.

The Japanese government is working on a visit by Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide to the United States for an in-person talks with President Joe Biden.

The meeting will likely take place as early as April depending on the status of the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest NHK opinion poll shows that the approval rate for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide exceeded the disapproval rate for the first time in three months.

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

Japan's vaccination plan is getting a boost after nearly one million doses arrived from Belgium on Monday.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines touched down at an airport near Tokyo. Combined with three previous shipments, Japan has secured enough to fully vaccinate more than a million people. So far, just over 46,000 frontline workers have received the first jabs. The next priority group is seniors, who are slated to start getting vaccinated next month.