The Japanese government will expand the scope of a subsidy program to help small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Owners of businesses that opened between January and March of this year will be eligible for the program which provides up to about 19,000 dollars in subsidies. Some freelance workers have also been included for the first time and may be eligible for up to 9,000 dollars.

As Japan reopens its economy, NHK has discovered that the government has influenced the findings of independent experts helping to shape its coronavirus policies.

Sources say the administration asked the panel to change some of its advisories out of fear they would spark panic.

A Japanese government panel is calling for increased investment in digitization to address problems that surfaced during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy on Monday presented a draft of this year's basic policies for economic and fiscal management to be adopted in July.

The Japanese government will work closely with the United States and South Korea to analyze North Korea's reasons for demolishing an inter-Korean liaison office.

North Korea blew up the liaison office in the North's border city of Kaesong on Tuesday. The country had slammed Seoul for allowing North Korean defectors to send anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.

Japanese Defense Minister Kono Taro has announced that the government will suspend a plan to deploy the Aegis Ashore missile defense system in the country.

Kono spoke to reporters on Monday, citing financial and technical challenges as reasons for the decision.

Japan's minister in charge of the nation's coronavirus response and the governor of Tokyo have agreed to cooperate on measures to curb the rising trend of coronavirus infections in the capital's nightlife districts.

Nishimura Yasutoshi and Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko met on Sunday. The mayor of Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, Yoshizumi Kenichi, joined the meeting. Shinjuku is home to the Kabukicho district and other nightlife hubs.

Japan's central government looks set to continue implementing its plan to relocate a US base within the southwestern prefecture of Okinawa.

Sunday's Okinawa prefectural assembly election gave a small majority to parties supporting Governor Tamaki Denny.

Japan's government says it may lift the nationwide state of emergency regarding the coronavirus outbreak before the planned end date of May 31 in many of the 34 prefectures that are not under special alert.

Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi said on an NHK program on Sunday the government will consider lifting the emergency declaration after listening to the opinions of an expert panel next week.

Japan's minister in charge of the coronavirus response says the number of new cases in the country is falling. But he warned that lifting the state of emergency may only be possible after the slowdown continues for a certain period of time.

The daily number of reported cases in Japan fell below 100 on Thursday for the first time since the state of emergency was declared last month.

Japan's minister in charge of the coronavirus response says the government plans to hear experts' opinions every week to consider whether to lift the state of emergency for the coronavirus.

Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi held separate teleconferences with leaders of Japan's major business organizations and the representative of prefectural governors on Tuesday.

A government panel of experts in Japan says it is reviewing the criteria for people to be tested for the coronavirus.

The move comes amid complaints that the current criteria are too stringent.

The Japanese government plans to provide help to municipalities struggling with paperwork related to the government's coronavirus cash handouts.

The handouts are part of the government's emergency economic rescue package aimed at offsetting the effects of the pandemic. The measure is funded by a fiscal 2020 supplementary budget enacted by the Diet on Thursday.

Japan's Prime Minister, Abe Shinzo, says he will extend the declaration of a state of emergency that is due to end on May 6.

He made the announcement on Thursday after the Diet approved a supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 to fund an emergency economic package to deal with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says the government will weigh various options when considering whether to change the start of the school year from April to September.

Abe commented on calls for the change at a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on Wednesday. Some governors and opposition parties want the start of the academic year to be pushed back to September as school closures have been prolonged amid the coronavirus pandemic.