An NHK survey has found that people in Tokyo who were suspected of contracting the coronavirus have had to wait for up to a week before they were able to get tested for it.

NHK asked public health centers in the 23 Tokyo wards about how long it took for possible virus carriers to receive PCR tests after health officials concluded that they had to be tested.

Last June, Japan's Best Car magazine laid out what we considered a whopper series of rumors about future Mazda developments. The mag said it had been speaking to a Toyota source on an unrelated matter, and found out that Mazda's work on a straight-six Skyactiv engine was predicated on that engine's use in Toyota Group vehicles, including Lexus models. Car and Driver has apparently consulted its own sources, and in a new report utters many of the same pronouncements as Best Car. The next-generation Mazda6, due around 2022, will molt out of its transverse engines on a front-driver platform, and be the first home for the longitudinally-mounted straight-six on the automaker's new rear-wheel drive "Large Architecture." 

The gas-powered Skyactiv-X six-cylinder, a shade under 3 liters of displacement, will get help from a 48-volt hybrid system, and top output could hit 350 horsepower. A second straight-six will come in an oil-burning Skyactiv-D flavor, and PHEVs are certain to eventually factor into the equations.

Mazda recently penned a paean to itself celebrating 100 years in business. This, naturally, meant the document also served as a love letter to the rotary engine, since, "The joy of driving, lightweight design and the rotary engine [are] three elements that define Mazda's DNA." One of those elements has been AWOL for eight years, since the end of RX-8 production. After years of rumor feverish enough to impress Slenderman, two years ago Mazda announced it was prepping a rotary range-extender engine for a model to debut in 2020. Here we are in the anticipated year, and we still don't know anything else about that vehicle — or perhaps we do.

When Mazda debuted the MX-30 battery-electric crossover in Tokyo last year, it bore an e-SkyActive powertrain with a 35.5-kWh battery sending current to an e-motor on the front axle producing 141 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. With a range of around 130 miles on the European cycle, even though the crossover was meant for markets like Europe and Japan, almost everyone chimed, "This would be perfect for that range-extender engine."

While the coronavirus has majorly disrupted practically every automaker and supplier in the world, some things are still going according to plan. During a roundtable discussion, Nissan representatives said that the 2020 Nissan Frontier with the new 3.8-liter engine is still on track to go on sale this spring. No adjustments have been made to the introduction of the next-generation 2021 Frontier either, which should be revealed by the end of the year. In fact, Nissan's representatives mentioned that next-generation Frontier prototypes are on their way to the U.S. for additional testing.

As has been mentioned previously, the big draw of the 2020 Nissan Frontier is that it gets the same 3.8-liter V6 and 9-speed automatic transmission as the redesigned 2021 truck. It's 93% different from the slightly larger displacement 4.0-liter engine of the old truck, and it's substantially more efficient and powerful. Despite the major changes, Nissan's powertrain expert who was leading the roundtable confirmed that it is still part of the VQ series of engines, which has been around since at least the Nissan 350Z, and a 3.7-liter version is used in the current 370Z. The powertrain expert also explained that the truck's increased efficiency is a result of multiple factors. In part, the engine is more efficient all around because of improved design, but it's also lighter than the old 4.0-liter engine.

Reports of a performance-focused Toyota GR HiLux continue to heat up in Australia with claims the Ford Ranger Raptor rival could receive a powerful new turbodiesel engine.

Driving while tired is extremely dangerous and in this video, we get to see what can happen.

After launching it in Europe at the beginning of the month, Toyota has now started accepting online reservations of the GR Yaris.

Sony is updating its two current flagships with a new firmware update that adds the 1 March 2020 Android security patches. The Sony Xperia 1 moves from build number 55.1.A.3.49 to version 55.1.A.3.107.

Sony is rolling a new firmware update for the Xperia XZ2 family (XZ2, XZ2 Compact,XZ2 Premium) and Xperia XZ3 which adds the 1 February 2020 Android security patches. The build number moves from 52.1.A.0.532, which was the first Android 10 update, to version 52.1.A.0.618.

On February 18 this year, as picked up by The Truth About Cars, Toyota submitted an application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to secure the term "i-Force Max." The paperwork requests the mark for "automobiles and structural parts thereof." It's thought the moniker will be applied to the rumored new engine headed for the next-generation Tundra pickup, expected next year, perhaps for the 2022 model year. The i-Force name is as old as the Tundra, appearing in 2000 on the first-gen model powered by the 4.7-liter V8 that produced 245 horsepower and 315 pound-feet of torque. When Toyota overhauled the truck in 2007, the i-Force name migrated to the new 5.7-liter DOHC V8 that made 381 hp and 401 lb-ft. At the time, that was more than could be had with any V8 from the Big Three competition, the Chevrolet Silverado's 6.0-liter Vortec Max V8 topping the challengers with 367 hp and 375 lb-ft. The Tundra hasn't moved on since then, its i-Force V8 making the same 381 hp and 401 lb-ft. in 2020.     

Years of rumors have pointed to the third-generation Tundra getting a top-trim 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 hybrid built off the same motor used in various Lexus models. Predicted output is 450 hp and 500 lb-ft., worthy numbers for the i-Force Max name if that's what ends up happening. That would put the Toyota right behind the high-output version of Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that makes 450 hp and 510 lb-ft., if the Tundra came out right now. We'll need to see what Ford reveals with the 14th-generation F-150 later this year, and how the domestic competition responds before the Tundra hits the market. Full-size truck buyers don't generally concern themselves with gas mileage, but the Tundra should destroy all comers if rumors of 30 miles per gallon on the highway prove true. And with a purported new chassis under the 2020 Tundra dubbed "F1," it's likely the payload and tow ratings will receive a generous increase from the current 1,660 and 10,100 pounds, respectively, in SR5 trim.

As Japan struggles to contain the coronavirus outbreak, local governments nationwide are receiving a rising number of inquiries from people who want to be tested for COVID-19. We interviewed an official from the health ministry's infectious diseases control division about testing for the virus.

Reporter: Can anyone get tested for the new coronavirus?

You may find it hard to believe, but the tenth-generation Honda Accord had its Japanese premiere in late October 2019 at the Tokyo Motor Show – more than two years after its world debut in U.S. specification.

Tokyo prosecutors have obtained a new arrest warrant for former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn for suspected violation of the immigration control law.

Prosecutors say Ghosn illegally left Japan on a private jet on the night of December 29 without going through departure screenings. He flew from Kansai International Airport in western Japan to Lebanon via Turkey.

The 2020 Nissan Titan and Titan XD have gone through some changes for the new model year. You can read all about our impressions of the refreshed Titan here, and all the new details on the Titan XD here — we're about to drive the XD, so look out for first drive impressions on that one soon, too. However, the news today is all about pricing of the improved Titans, which we haven't known about until now. A base 2020 Titan S King Cab will now cost $37,785, a $5,500 increase compared to the cheapest 2019 Titan that money can buy. A lot of this can be explained by Nissan's decision to drop the Single Cab altogether; the King Cab is now the base truck. Comparing apples to apples, the Titan's price rises $2,230 for the S King Cab. To get four-wheel drive, add $3,200. A PRO-4X King Cab will run you all the way up to $49,185.  If you go for the full-zoot Platinum Reserve Crew Cab with four-wheel drive, it'll top $60,000 – even Nissan wants a piece of the luxury truck pie. The more capable Titan XD is returning with similar improvements. The diesel is gone, but the gasoline V8 has a bit more power than last year like the non-XD does. It starts at $46,175, a huge increase of $11,590 – due in part to the elimination of the Single Cab model, and also making 4WD standard on the XD (2WD was available last year). What Nissan has done is limit folks' choices into a few much more expensive configuration than before. The PRO-4X costs $55,575, and the most expensive Platinum Reserve trim costs $63,285. That's a lot of money for a truck, but it's no more than what Ford, Ram and GM charge for their luxury pickups. Nissan says the new Titans will go on sale at the start of this year sometime, so look for them in dealer lots soon.