Japan's Foreign Ministry plans to launch a research and study project to help create international rules on how to handle infectious disease outbreaks onboard cruise ships.
In February, coronavirus cluster infections were confirmed aboard the Diamond Princess, a cruise vessel registered in Britain and operated by a US company.
A prominent infectious disease expert in Japan is warning that the country is in the midst of second wave of the coronavirus outbreak. The alarm comes as the number of seriously ill patients has been rising.
The western prefecture of Osaka reported 187 new cases on Wednesday ... the most among the country's 47 prefectures. There were 65 seriously ill patients as of Tuesday ... more than double the figure for Tokyo.
A government panel of experts has proposed assessing Japan's coronavirus outbreak in four stages, so that necessary countermeasures can be taken before the situation worsens.
The panel came up with the idea at a meeting on Friday held amid a rise in nationwide infections.
Japan's top government spokesperson says the coronavirus outbreak is continuing to expand across the country, but the situation does not require the government to declare a state of emergency again.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide told reporters on Friday that the expansion is seen as slower than in March and April, but it remains worrisome. He said recently the spread of infection is picking up speed in some parts of Japan, and the number of serious cases has gradually been on the rise.
Japan's trade minister says the government will decide when to start its "Go To Event" campaign while closely monitoring the extent of the coronavirus outbreak.
The campaign is part of a government-proposed package aimed at spurring consumer spending, as the economy has been hit hard by the pandemic. It is aimed at offering discounts on tickets for concerts, sporting events and movies.
Experts working for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have raised the level of concern about the coronavirus outbreak in the city to the highest level. They used strong language when stating that the virus appears to be spreading.
The experts raised the level from three to four on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's four-tier scale.
The head of a Tokyo hospital where an outbreak of the coronavirus killed dozens of patients has apologized for insufficient measures to deal with the infectious disease.
Eiju General Hospital in Tokyo confirmed 214 coronavirus cases since March, including 109 inpatients, 83 doctors and other staff members and 22 people who have had close contact with those infected. Forty-three inpatients died.
In the period from April 13 to 19 in Japan, hundreds of welfare service providers for people with disabilities shuttered their operations due to the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
The health ministry says a total of 891 facilities in 35 of the country's 47 prefectures shut down during that span, including daycare and short-stay service providers.
Officials in southwestern Japan are dealing with a coronavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that was undergoing repairs in Nagasaki.
So far 127 of the 623 crew members on the Costa Atlantica have been tested. Of those, 48 have tested positive...including a man in his 40s who is being treated with a ventilator.
A growing number of people who have lost, or will likely lose their jobs amid the coronavirus outbreak in Japan, have received offers to perform illegal work through social media.
The labor ministry says 1,473 people had lost their jobs, or faced the prospect of losing their jobs, for the roughly two months through April 6. The ministry cites deteriorating corporate performance as one of the reasons.
Shrines designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites in Tochigi Prefecture's Nikko, north of Tokyo, have temporarily closed to prevent infections of the new coronavirus.
Toshogu Shrine, Rinnoji Temple and Futarasan Shrine made the announcements on Monday.
Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and the main governing Liberal Democratic Party have agreed to give roughly 2,800 dollars to households whose income has fallen to a certain level due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Abe and LDP policy chief Kishida Fumio agreed on the 300,000-yen cash handout on Friday as part of discussions on an emergency economic package.
A survey in Japan found that nearly 80 percent of actors and voice actors who responded are facing hardship as their jobs have been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Japan Actors Union conducted the survey over a period of three days through Thursday, and 528 actors and voice actors responded.
The Japanese government will avoid calling all Cabinet ministers to attend every anti-coronavirus task force meeting, in an effort to reduce the risk of possible infections among them.
So far in principle, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and all Cabinet ministers, as well as senior government officials, have attended the task force meetings.