People in Japan are observing a solemn 75th anniversary on Saturday, August 15, the day the country marks the end of World War Two and offers prayers for peace.

This year's events and rallies to mark the occasion across the country are being held with due precautions amid the continuing spread of the coronavirus.

Saturday is the beginning of the Bon summer holidays in Japan, but train and planes are less crowded than usual because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Most people waiting for bullet trains at Tokyo station on Saturday morning were traveling solo or in pairs. There weren't many families to be seen. They were wearing face masks and kept social distances. Station staff were giving out sanitizing wipes.

The head of the International Olympic Committee has suggested that holding the Tokyo Games next year with fewer spectators should be considered as an option.

The IOC met via video link on Friday for its first general assembly since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Japan Sumo Association says it will hold its July tournament in Tokyo with about 2,500 spectators, roughly 25 percent of the full capacity. The reduction is part of measures against the coronavirus outbreak.

The association made the announcement on Monday. The tournament will start on Sunday at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena.

A Japanese health ministry survey says the country's 47 prefectures have only secured less than half the number of hospital beds they will need for coronavirus patients when the outbreak reaches its peak.

The survey says more than 31,000 beds will be needed for coronavirus patients at the peak of the outbreak, but fewer than 14,500 had been secured as of May 1.

Outings declined in most prefectures across Japan on the first Saturday since the government extended the state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo released pedestrian traffic data collected from its base stations, without identifying users.

Significantly fewer people than last weekend were seen in the coastal Shonan Area of Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, on Saturday.

Despite calls to stay home, roads and beaches were packed with visitors including surfers last Sunday. The crowds prompted the prefectural government and the City of Fujisawa to repeatedly urge people not to visit.

TOKYO/BEIJING — Nissan Motor Co's management has become convinced the struggling automaker needs to be much smaller, and a restructuring plan due out next month would likely assume a cut of 1 million cars to its annual sales target, senior company sources said.

Even before the spread of the coronavirus, Nissan's sales and profits had been slumping and it was burning through cash, forcing it to row back on an aggressive expansion plan pursued by ousted leader Carlos Ghosn. The pandemic has only piled on urgency and pressure to renewed efforts to downsize.

Fewer people were seen on the streets of Japan's major cities than normal on Sunday after authorities asked residents to stay home to curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

In Tokyo's Shinjuku district, major department stores and clothing shops shut their doors. Notices of temporary closure were put out at karaoke parlors.

Foreign visitor numbers to Japan have fallen again for a fourth straight month. Figures for January show a steep decline in tourists from South Korea.

Tourism operators are also preparing for the impact of the coronavirus epidemic. That's expected to hit the industry from February onwards.