Tokyo's benchmark stock index rose sharply on Tuesday, closing at its highest of the year. Investors bought shares after a long weekend that delivered good news about coronavirus vaccines.
The Nikkei Stock Average ended the day at 26,165, up 2.5 percent from Friday's close. Buy orders were placed almost across the board from the opening.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is arriving in Japan on Tuesday for talks with his counterpart Motegi Toshimitsu. He is also expected to meet Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide the following day.
This will be the first time since the launch of Suga's Cabinet that a high-ranking official from China is coming to Japan.
A UN panel has described Japan's extended pretrial detention of former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn as an "abuse of process." The Japanese government lodged an objection to the panel.
The UN Human Rights Council's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released on its website a report dated November 20, outlining its opinions.
The Japanese government will suspend travel subsidies for new bookings to the cities of Sapporo and Osaka, where coronavirus cases are increasing.
The government has been planning to exclude regions with a spike in cases from its "Go To Travel" campaign.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is to arrive in Japan on Tuesday for talks with his counterpart Motegi Toshimitsu. He is also expected to meet Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide the following day.
This will be the first time since the launch of Suga's Cabinet that a high-ranking official from China has come to Japan.
NHK has learned from multiple sources that receipts from two hotels in Tokyo where former prime minister Abe Shinzo's support group held annual parties show that his office shouldered part of the costs.
The group held the parties from 2013 to 2019 on the nights before Abe's annual cherry blossom viewing events. Supporters each paid about 48 dollars to attend.
Governors across Japan have called on the government to let them know as soon as possible about any changes to its programs designed to promote travel and dining.
The National Governors' Association held an emergency online meeting on Monday, as the coronavirus is rapidly spreading in the country. About 30 governors took part.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials say 314 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the Japanese capital on Monday.
The daily tally topped 300 for a sixth straight day.
At the G20 summit Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has pledged that Japan will lead the world's green industry to create a favorable cycle for the economy and environment.
Suga attended the second day of the virtual meeting from Sunday night through early Monday morning, Japan time. US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and other leaders also took part.
On this a three-day holiday weekend here in Japan, plenty of people have been venturing out and traveling, despite the risks of coronavirus infection.
Some people in Tokyo decided to view the autumn leaves, preferring to stay close to home rather than going far afield. There were 391 new coronavirus infections reported on Sunday in the capital. That's a drop from recent days, when over 500 cases were reported daily.
Officials in Japan reported a record 2,596 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday.
Twelve people in six prefectures died of the disease, including three in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.
Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has called on the Group of 20 major economies to push for the availability of coronavirus vaccines and treatments for people around the world.
Suga spoke at an online G20 summit chaired by Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were among the leaders who took part on Saturday, at the start of the two-day summit.
Japan's health ministry says 705 working-age men in their 20s to 50s committed suicide nationwide in September.
The number is up 56, 8.6 percent higher than the figure in the same month last year.
Holding a large festival may not be a wise idea during the coronavirus pandemic. But organizers of one of Japan's traditional festivals are test-staging the event, with ample social distancing.
The centuries' old Awa Odori dance festival in Tokushima City, western Japan, normally draws large crowds, eager to get a close view of a parade of energetic performers. The event was canceled this past summer, but organizers are hoping to stage the event next year.