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The Japanese government is considering extending a nationwide state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic by about a month. The declaration is currently scheduled to be in place until next Wednesday.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said at an Upper House Budget Committee meeting on Wednesday that the question remains whether it will be possible to say on May 6 that the state of emergency is over. He said that prospect still appears unlikely, noting that cases of infection continue to rise.

Japan's health minister says the government will fast-track approval of the antiviral drug remdesivir as a possible treatment for the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Remdesivir is being developed abroad as a treatment for Ebola. It's now being clinically tested in several countries, including Japan, to see whether it's also effective against the coronavirus.

Japan's government plans to investigate reports that many hospitals are refusing to admit people suspected of having the coronavirus.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency will survey 52 fire departments in Tokyo and other big cities. The survey will ask them how many times their ambulances have been turned away by four or more hospitals.

Japan's government says it's still cautious about the country's coronavirus outbreak, despite a recent drop in new infections in the capital.

Tuesday marks three weeks since the government declared a state of emergency.

The Japanese government has submitted to the Diet a supplementary budget plan aimed at easing the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

The government on Monday submitted the bill worth more than 230 billion dollars for the fiscal year that began on April 1. It will partly fund an emergency economic package worth 1.1 trillion dollars.

Japan's health ministry is planning to allow dentists to carry out tests for the coronavirus in an effort to increase testing capacity.

The ministry presented the plan at an expert panel meeting on Sunday.

Japan has stepped up efforts to reduce person-to-person contact by 80 percent in a bid to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi on Thursday issued guidelines on what kind of steps governors can take to get business owners that continue to ignore government requests to suspend their operations.

Japan's minister in charge of anti-coronavirus measures says the government plans to announce as early as Thursday guidelines for prefectural governors to take tougher measures against businesses that defy the government's request to stay closed.

Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi spoke to reporters on Wednesday after he met with Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko.

Japan's Defense Ministry filed an application with Okinawa Prefecture on Tuesday to alter a construction plan for the relocation of a US base within the prefecture. The revised plan would include work to strengthen the soft foundation of reclaimed land. The prefecture is expected to reject the request.

The central government wants to move the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City to the less-populated Henoko district in Nago City.

The head of an expert panel advising the Japanese government says it's too early to assess whether nationwide measures against the coronavirus outbreak are having the desired effect.

Omi Shigeru spoke to reporters at a news conference on Friday held by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

The Japanese minister in charge of coronavirus measures says the government aims to start cash handouts in May, to households suffering from falling income due to the outbreak.

Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi revealed the plan during a news conference on Tuesday.

Japan has postponed ceremonies to proclaim Crown Prince Akishino as heir to the throne, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The government made the decision on Tuesday. It follows the declaration of a state of emergency in Tokyo and several other prefectures.

The Japanese government plans to continue asking businesses to let more employees work from home, to substantially cut social contact for the coronavirus in state-of-emergency areas.

The government wants to mitigate person-to-person contacts by at least 70 percent, or preferably by 80 percent, in Tokyo and six other prefectures. It says the reduction will help contain the spread of the virus as quickly as possible.

The Japanese government is considering the adoption of a smartphone app that would allow authorities to quickly identify people who may have been exposed to those infected with the new coronavirus.

The app will be similar to the one developed and introduced in Singapore. If users of smartphones loaded with the app come into close proximity, the handsets will receive each other's phone number and record it in an encrypted form.