Japan's ruling coalition said the country should be able to launch a "counterstrike" if it's targeted by an armed attack. It's set to be one of the biggest changes to Japanese security policy since the end of World War Two.

The main Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito held talks on Friday. They said Japan's current system is poorly equipped to deal with growing threats in the region.

Japan's two governing parties are aiming to reach an agreement that the country should be capable of conducting counterstrikes on missile-launching sites and other enemy targets.

An agreement at the two parties' working-level talks on Friday would mark a major shift in Japan's security policy after the end of World War Two.

Japan's governing parties have confirmed that they will try to reach an agreement on Friday on the country's capabilities to conduct counterattacks on enemy missile-launching sites among others.

Lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito discussed the issue on Wednesday at their eighth working-level talks.

The governor of Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido and the mayor of its biggest city, Sapporo, are united in stepping up preventive measures as coronavirus infections are increasing there again.

Prefectural officials confirmed 75 new cases on Wednesday. Fifty-one of them are in Sapporo. The tally in the prefecture surpassed 70 for the third day in a row.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping by phone for the first time since taking office last week.

He spoke to reporters after the talks on Friday.

The International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo Games organizing committee have agreed on ways to rein in additional costs incurred by the postponement of the event.

The IOC's coordination committee announced on Friday that it agreed with the Tokyo organizers on 52 items to simplify after a two-day teleconference on preparations for the Games.

Japan's prime minister and the head of the International Olympic Committee have agreed to work closely to hold next year's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics safely.

Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and IOC President Thomas Bach spoke by phone for about 15 minutes on Wednesday. The talks were their first since Suga took office as prime minister last week.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison have agreed to deepen cooperation for the stability and prosperity of the international community.

The leaders spoke by phone on Sunday for about 20 minutes.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and US President Donald Trump have agreed to further strengthen the Japan-US alliance.

Suga talked with Trump by telephone for about 25 minutes on Sunday night in their first phone call since Suga took office on September 16.

Japan and Britain have reached a broad agreement on a new economic partnership.

The two sides aim to bring the pact into force on January 1, 2021.

The foreign chiefs of Japan and Britain have agreed to work together to respond to the coronavirus and the situation in Hong Kong.

Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu met his British counterpart Dominic Raab in London on Wednesday. They talked for about two hours.

Japan's government and major US pharmaceutical company Pfizer have reached an agreement over the supply of a coronavirus vaccine.

Japanese health minister Kato Katsunobu told reporters on Friday that under the deal, if Pfizer succeeds in developing the vaccine, it will supply Japan with 120 million doses for 60 million people by the end of June, 2021. A person needs to be vaccinated twice.

Japan's health ministry says it has reached an agreement with major US pharmaceutical company Pfizer over the supply of a coronavirus vaccine.

Under the deal, if Pfizer succeeds in developing the vaccine, it will supply Japan with 120 million doses for 60 million people by the end of June, 2021.

Japanese Defense Minister Kono Taro and US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun have agreed that all North Korean missile launches violate UN Security Council resolutions.

The two met for about half an hour in Tokyo on Friday.