For the first time in 12 years, Japan's education ministry has revised its guidelines for teachers on how to instruct students about their behavior. The guidelines call for schools to review their rules frequently to prevent excessively strict guidance.
The ministry released the guidelines on Tuesday. The revision reflects discussions by experts.
Japan's welfare ministry says it will review a report on adoptions among followers of the former Unification Church. More than 30 such adoptions reportedly took place after it became illegal to broker adoptions without permits.
The ministry, along with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, had sent a letter of inquiry to the religious group about the controversial practice last month. The group submitted a report by the Monday deadline.
Japan's industry ministry has come out with a draft action plan that would mark a clear departure from the nuclear power policy the government has taken since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.
The ministry presented the plan in an online meeting of an advisory panel on Monday.
Japan's health ministry says it confirmed 10,346 new cases of the coronavirus in Tokyo on Sunday.
That's up 2,569 from a week ago. The daily tally rose week-on-week for the third day in a row.
Japan's health ministry has decided on a list of pre-existing conditions for prioritizing those receiving coronavirus vaccinations.
The ministry plans to start inoculating medical workers around late February, followed by the elderly in late March, and then people with underlying health conditions.
Japanese health ministry panel members say they are still not confident enough to approve the influenza drug Avigan to treat COVID-19 patients.
Members of the panel met behind closed doors on Monday to discuss the efficacy and safety of the drug developed by Fujifilm Toyama Chemical.
Japanese health minister Tamura Norihisa says top priority will be given to quickly screening a COVID-19 vaccine co-developed by US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.
The comment indicates the screening will proceed based on a fast-track system that requires much simpler steps than conventional screening.
NHK has learned that Japan's Defense Ministry plans to dispatch Self-Defense Force medical personnel to Osaka Prefecture, where the healthcare system is under strain from a surge in coronavirus cases.
The ministry will likely send a total of about seven personnel consisting of nurses and other staff.
NHK has learned that a senior Japanese foreign ministry official will visit South Korea from Wednesday, apparently to seek a breakthrough to improve bilateral ties.
Takizaki Shigeki, the director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau will stay in South Korea for three days.
Japan's industry ministry says there are technical difficulties with three proposed options for disposing of treated radioactive wastewater stored at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The wastewater includes water that has been used to cool the molten nuclear fuel following the March 2011 meltdowns, as well as rainwater that has flowed into the ground under the reactors. It is then treated to remove most radioactive substances, but some elements, including tritium, remain. The volume of stored water has been increasing.
Japan's Defense Ministry is seeking a record 52 billion dollar budget for the fiscal year starting in April 2021.
The ministry decided on the amount, which is 3.3 percent more than the initial budget for the current fiscal year, at a meeting on Wednesday attended by Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo.
Following the death of a prominent Japanese actor Takeuchi Yuko in an apparent suicide, the health ministry wants to remind the public that crisis counseling services are available.
The ministry posted on its website telephone numbers of services provided by municipalities and QR codes for non-profit organizations using social media.
Japan's welfare ministry has set up new sections to support the development and promotion of robots that can assist in nursing care.
The ministry this month opened six bases to support companies developing such robots, as well as 11 consultation centers for operators of nursing-care businesses across the country.
Japan's agricultural ministry has warned of devastating damage to the farming, forestry and fisheries industries due to ongoing torrential downpours.
The ministry says as of 11 p.m. on Friday, damage has been confirmed in 30 prefectures. They include Kumamoto and Kagoshima in the southwestern Kyushu region, which has been hit particularly hard by the extreme weather.