The Japanese government approved on Tuesday a draft bill aimed at helping regional authorities create a carbon-free society.

The draft bill revises a law on global warming measures, with the goal of reaching a zero-carbon target across Japan by 2050.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials confirmed 232 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Tuesday.

The total number of people who have tested positive in Tokyo now stands at 112,029.

The latest novel by Nobel Prize winning Japanese-born British author Kazuo Ishiguro hit the shelves on Tuesday.

"Klara and the Sun" became available at bookstores across the world. It is Ishiguro's first novel since he won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017.

Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are scheduled to attend a downsized memorial ceremony for victims of a disaster that struck the country's northeastern and eastern regions on March 11, 2011.

The government decided in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the memorial for the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake will be held at the National Theatre in Tokyo on the afternoon of March 11. The Emperor is scheduled to deliver an address.

The Japanese government is seeking Diet approval of plans to extend its current agreement with Washington in relation to the cost of hosting US troops.

The government made the decision to submit a document to the Diet during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Japan's minister in charge of coronavirus response has suggested that a panel of experts will meet this week to judge whether a state of emergency can be lifted in the remaining four prefectures, including Tokyo, on March 7.

Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi told reporters on Tuesday that benchmark data are being analyzed every day. He said the government and the four prefectures share the thought that the state of emergency should not be prolonged.

Two Americans accused of helping former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan have arrived at Narita Airport near Tokyo, after being extradited by US authorities. Michael Taylor, a former Green Beret, and his adult son Peter face charges, including enabling a suspect to escape.

Tokyo prosecutors have arrested the two men. Their flight took off from Boston on Monday.

China's Defense Ministry has justified the country's activities off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea as legitimate. Japan's defense minister has responded that the activities violate international law.

Japan controls the islands. China and Taiwan claim them. The Japanese government maintains that the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory.

A University of Tokyo graduate school has criticized Hong Kong authorities for charging one of its students for violating the territory's national security law.

The university's Graduate School of Public Policy said in an English statement on Monday that PhD student Au Nok Hin was arrested as part of a broad crackdown, the day after he returned to Hong Kong. He had been studying at the school.

Two Americans suspected of helping former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee to Lebanon have been handed over to Japanese authorities. They are now on a flight to Japan.

Tokyo prosecutors are believed to have arrested 60-year-old former US Green Beret Michael Taylor and his 28-year-old son Peter Taylor on charges including enabling a suspect to escape.

Japan's health ministry says equipment storing coronavirus vaccines broke down at a medical institution, rendering about 1,000 doses unusable.

The ministry said it received a report from the institution that the equipment for storing doses at ultra-low temperatures went down last Friday. It is one of the facilities in the country where inoculations for medical workers are underway.

Japan's health ministry has allowed the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to be transported and stored at temperatures commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers.

The ministry gave the green light on Monday, after examining data from the US pharmaceutical giant.

The Japanese government has asked China not to conduct coronavirus tests using anal swabs on Japanese people visiting the country.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu told reporters on Monday that the government had made the request to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Beijing city authorities.

Yahoo Japan and messaging app provider Line have officially merged, creating a new tech giant.

The two entities integrated their operations on Monday under SoftBank's subsidiary, Z Holdings, which operates Yahoo Japan.