The Japanese government has decided to set up a new entity to help prevent high-end domestic fruits and other farm products from being illegally grown overseas.
The decision comes after items such as high-quality "Shine Muscat" and "Ruby Roman" grapes were found growing in other countries.
Japan plans to start the wide distribution of a domestically developed oral COVID-19 drug, Xocova, from next Monday, earlier than initially planned.
The Japanese government approved emergency authorization of Xocova on Tuesday. The first Japanese COVID-19 drug is made by pharmaceutical firm Shionogi. Xocova can be used to treat even mild symptoms.
Japan's tourism minister revealed on Friday that the government will continue with its nationwide travel discount campaign next year.
The campaign started in October to help the tourism industry, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan's prime minister says the government will entirely suspend its domestic travel subsidy campaign late this month as the number of new coronavirus infections remains at record high levels.
The Japanese government has scaled back a popular domestic tourism campaign due to the coronavirus, which is now spreading rapidly nationwide.
Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi said, "Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and ministers concerned have decided to temporarily halt subsidies for travel to the cities of Sapporo and Osaka."
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says the government will lift travel restrictions across prefectural borders on Friday, as the daily number of coronavirus cases continues to fall nationwide, except in a few localities.
Abe made the announcement at a meeting of the government's taskforce on the coronavirus on Thursday.
Japan Airlines has decided to fully reopen Terminal 1 for domestic flights at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on July 1 as more passengers are beginning to travel since the state of emergency was lifted on May 25 in Japan.
The airline closed its north wing departure lobby in April after the number of passengers plunged due to the pandemic.
Japan's prefectural leaders want the central government to take steps to discourage people from traveling to other prefectures.
About 30 governors took part in an emergency online meeting of the National Governors' Association on Friday. The central government expanded the state of emergency for the coronavirus outbreak to the entire country on Thursday.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways will slash domestic flights from Friday due to a drop in travel demand amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
The two Japanese airlines will for the first time curtail domestic services in the face of an increase in new infections.