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.

NHK has learned that three British men suspected of robbing a jewelry store in Tokyo have been detained in Britain. A court in the country is holding a hearing to decide whether to extradite them to Japan.

They allegedly forced their way into the store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in November 2015. They are accused of seriously injuring a security guard and stealing jewelry.

The Japanese government plans to step up measures toward the end of the year to fight coronavirus infections.

The government advisory panel on its coronavirus response on Wednesday called for stronger action for a short period of around three weeks. The panel said the government should ask people to refrain from moving to or from areas where the virus is spreading rapidly, if necessary preventive steps are not taken.

NHK has learned that Japan's Foreign Ministry is considering lowering the travel alert that has been issued for the entire world due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ministry raised the alert to Level 2, the third-highest on a scale of 1 to 4, in March for the whole world and asked people to avoid nonessential travels.

Authorities in Japan are racing to contain a surge in coronavirus infections, ahead of upcoming summer holidays. Tokyo remains the major hotspot. Metropolitan government officials confirmed 258 new cases in the capital on Monday.

It's the seventh consecutive day with more than 200 infections. Across the country, the total number of infections has topped 40,000.

Japan's government is considering whether to request business closures for nightlife establishments that fail to follow its guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

A request based on a special law to tackle the outbreak is under consideration for non-compliant businesses where staff and customers come into close contact.

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.

The Japanese government is studying additional measures to prop up the tourist industry and smaller businesses hit hard by the coronavirus scare.

Officials have already come up with a 140-million dollar package to fight the outbreak.

Japan's Justice Minister Masako Mori is planning to ask her advisory panel to debate legal revisions to prevent bail-jumping.

The move comes after former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn fled Japan last month as well as other cases of escapes.