Japan's Defense Minister Taro Kono says his ministry regards two projectiles fired by North Korea on Monday as short-range ballistic missiles similar to those the country launched on November 28.

He told reporters on Tuesday that the projectiles were fired within a minute of each other and flew about 240 kilometers at lower trajectories than the scud missiles North Korea possessed in the past.

Japan's health minister says 28 passengers have developed fevers or other symptoms after disembarking from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Katsunobu Kato said at a Diet committee meeting on Tuesday that the passengers are among those who have responded to his ministry's follow-up surveys.

The Subaru WRX STI is getting pretty long-in-tooth, but an all-new model is on the horizon and it could have 90 hp (67 kW / 91 PS) and 71 lb-ft (96 Nm) more than its predecessor.

Japanese authorities say 57 more people on board the quarantined Diamond Princess have tested positive for the new coronavirus.

This brings the total number of virus carriers found on the cruise ship to 691.

Japan's transport and tourism minister says the coronavirus outbreak is expected to hit the country's tourism industry hard, and the government is considering support measures.

Kazuyoshi Akaba told reporters on Monday that regular passenger flights connecting Japan and China have been reduced by 60 percent. He said he is concerned about a further reduction.

Japanese electronics company NEC may have come under cyber-attacks, with about 28,000 data files likely leaked.

Sources say the attacks occurred over several years through 2018. They add the possibly compromised files contained information on defense technologies, such as submarine sonar.

Japan's health ministry has confirmed the first two cases of coronavirus infection without any symptoms in the country.

The ministry confirmed that three evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan have the new type of coronavirus.

A Japanese medical trainee says he heard that health care workers in Wuhan may have been infected with the new strain of coronavirus weeks before the media reported about it. He made the comment during a telephone interview with NHK.

The man in his twenties graduated from a university in China and trained at a hospital in Wuhan until around January 10.

On January 22, 'Bunshun Online' reported that actor Higashide Masahiro (31) and wife, actress Anne (33) are currently separated. On the same day, Higashide's agency confirmed the reports, stating, "We've confirmed that the things that have been written [in the article] are almost all true," then continued, "However, we have heard that the separation is not a step toward divorce, but a cooling-off period in order to mend their relationship." 

According to 'Bunshun Online,' the couple have separated and is on the verge of a divorce. More details are published on 'Shukan Bunshun' reporting on Higashide's affair with a minor and photographs of the actor together with an 'innocent actress.'  

Japan will start issuing passports featuring art by ukiyoe master Katsushika Hokusai for people applying as early as February.

The new passport has 24 landscapes from the "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" series from the 19th century. The prints serve as background for the visa pages used for entry and exit stamps. The design of the front page remains the same.