Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide says the government is keeping an eye on developments involving Chinese Confucius Institutes.

The institutes are educational establishments set up by Beijing in cooperation with universities around the world, including Japan, to promote Chinese language and culture.

The Tokyo Metropolitan government confirmed 236 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Wednesday.

The figure topped 200 for the first time since Sunday.

The minister in charge of the coronavirus response says no decision will be made on whether to add Tokyo to the government's domestic tourism promotional campaign until experts weigh in on the matter next month.

Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi made the statement at a meeting of the Lower House cabinet standing committee on Wednesday.

The key gauge for business in Japan has dropped for the fifth consecutive month, due to a decrease in business travel amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bank of Japan says the Services Producer Price Index fell 0.6 percent in July from the year before. That excludes the effects of last year's consumption tax hike.

Six major Japanese companies are joining forces to launch an unprecedented cross-industrial project using digital technology to create new products and services.

The digital transformation -- or DX project -- will be coordinated by Silicon Valley-based investment firm Scrum Ventures. The companies include East Japan Railway and Toyota Research Institute-Advanced Development.

The ratio of women who hold senior positions at companies in Japan has inched up, but remains far below the government's target.

Credit research firm Teikoku Databank conducted a nationwide survey in July and nearly 12,000 firms responded.

Japanese authorities reported 718 new coronavirus cases nationwide on Tuesday, including 182 in Tokyo.

The total number of cases in Japan now stands at 64,714. That includes cases found during airport quarantine checks, as well as 712 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was docked near Tokyo earlier this year.

Sales at Japan's major restaurant chains kept falling in July, as the coronavirus discouraged people from eating out.

The Japan Food Service Association says revenue fell 15 percent from a year earlier. That was the fifth straight month of decline. But the drop was smaller than in the month before, even though it was still in double digits.

A university in western Japan is teaming up with restaurants to encourage the use of "handheld masks" when people wine and dine in the coronavirus era.

Kyoto Saga University of Arts developed the prototypes, which are made of paper or non-woven fabric with handles attached.

Members of the family of a Japanese woman abducted by North Korea have met a top official at the US Embassy in Tokyo and asked for cooperation toward a return of Japanese nationals abducted by the North.

Yokota Megumi was abducted in 1977 on her way home from junior high school in Niigata City, on the Sea of Japan coast.

The Tokyo Metropolitan government confirmed 182 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Tuesday.

New infections again topped 100 after a dip on Monday. But the figure remains below 200 for the second day in a row.

Researchers using Japan's latest supercomputer say they have found that some face masks can help block viral droplets, but thorough room ventilation is still needed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

A team from the RIKEN research institute led by Kobe University Professor Tsubokura Makoto studied the effectiveness of masks against viral droplets emitted by others while sneezing, coughing or other means. They used the next-generation supercomputer Fugaku.

Former Justice Minister Kawai Katsuyuki and his lawmaker wife, Kawai Anri, denied charges of vote buying in the opening of their trial at Tokyo District Court on Tuesday.

Prosecutors alleged that Kawai Katsuyuki distributed about 270,000 dollars in cash to 100 local politicians and senior members of support groups to secure votes for his wife. She won a seat in the Upper House election in July last year.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has returned to work after undergoing medical checks at a Tokyo hospital.

Abe broke a record on Monday, becoming the longest-serving Japanese leader in terms of 2,799 consecutive days in office.