The head of the World Health Organization says a team of experts sent to the Chinese city of Wuhan to investigate the origins of the coronavirus hopes to publish a summary report next week.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added that all hypotheses "remain open and require further analysis and studies."
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended an online international conference on water and sanitation on Friday.
It was organized by former members of the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water Sanitation, which was active for more than 10 years from 2004.
Preeminent Japanese writer Oe Kenzaburo has deposited more than 10,000 pages of handwritten manuscripts and other documents to his alma mater, the University of Tokyo.
Officials say the documents were being kept at the writer's home and a number of publishers.
The embattled head of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee has offered his resignation.
Mori Yoshiro made the announcement at a hastily arranged joint session of the committee's executives and the board of councilors. It comes more than a week after the 83-year-old made demeaning remarks about women, sparking a global backlash.
The man reportedly tapped to be the next president of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee says he won't take up the post.
Kawabuchi Saburo told reporters on Friday that he sincerely hopes that the committee will find someone excellent.
An expert panel at Japan's health ministry has given the green light to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, bringing the government closer to approving the country's first jab against the coronavirus in the coming days.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials say 307 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the capital on Friday.
The daily tally has been below 500 for six days in a row.
Japan's health ministry is expected to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by US firm Pfizer as early as Sunday.
A panel of experts at the ministry will hold a meeting on Friday evening to discuss whether the vaccine should be approved.
The embattled head of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee has offered his resignation.
Mori Yoshiro made the announcement at a hastily arranged joint session of the committee's executives and the board of councilors. It comes more than a week after the 83-year-old made demeaning remarks about women, sparking a global outcry.
NHK has learned that the person reportedly tapped to replace Mori Yoshiro, the current head of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, is likely to decline the post.
Former chairman of Japan's professional soccer league Kawabuchi Saburo was reportedly asked by Mori and others to become the committee's new head. Kawabuchi, who is 84 years old, on Thursday showed intent to take the job.
Japan has received its first shipment of the coronavirus vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
The doses arrived at Narita Airport near Tokyo Friday on an airplane from Belgium.
The embattled head of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee Mori Yoshiro has offered his resignation after making sexist remarks.
Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi has suggested that the government will maintain the state of emergency to tackle the coronavirus for the time being, citing strains on medical systems.
Speaking to a meeting of an advisory panel on Friday, Nishimura said there is a need to keep the state of emergency, which has been in place for Tokyo, Osaka and eight other most affected prefectures since early January. The panel met to discuss planned revisions to the government's anti-coronavirus basic guidelines in line with the revised legislation for coronavirus special measures.
The head of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Mori Yoshiro, is expected to officially offer to step down on Friday.
Mori is to attend a hastily arranged joint session of the committee's executive board and the board of councilors. He is expected to resign to take responsibility for his controversial remarks about women.