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.

A third-party panel of experts has compiled a report on the Japanese government's initial response to the pandemic. They say some of the measures were too little and too late.

One of the focal points of the report was the government's border control response.

Nissan put a Leaf on stilts to show how electric cars can help emergency response workers in the field. Cleverly called Re-Leaf, its latest concept was developed to deliver electricity where and when it's most needed.

Made by British race car builder RJN Motorsport, the design study is based on the Leaf Plus, which benefits from a bigger and more usable battery than the standard model. Normally, the 62-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack simply zaps the front wheels into motion. In the Re-Leaf, it can also dispense electricity via three sockets. Two are on the outside of the hatchback, under weatherproof covers, and the third is integrated into the trunk.

The southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa has raised its alert over coronavirus infections to the highest of its four levels, and has extended the period of its state of emergency.

Okinawa Governor Tamaki Denny made the announcement on Thursday evening after a meeting with his government's officials. They discussed the prefecture's response to the coronavirus infections that show no signs of receding.

The Japanese government has agreed to provide Bangladesh with loans worth up to 330 million dollars for the Southwestern Asian nation's coronavirus response.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, participated in a teleconference call on Wednesday. They confirmed that they have reached a deal to work together in the fight against the virus.

A government panel of experts in Japan says social restrictions should vary by region depending on the scale of local coronavirus infections.

A nationwide state of emergency is set to expire on May 6. The government is planning to extend it for about one month, and is seeking experts' views.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought opposition parties' cooperation to enact legislation that would enable him to declare a state of emergency if the coronavirus spreads further.

Abe met leaders of the five opposition parties individually on Wednesday, and asked them to cooperate in passing the legislation through the Diet as soon as possible.

The Japanese government has adopted a set of measures to deal with the new strain of coronavirus that emerged from China after Japan's first case was confirmed last week.

A man who returned from Wuhan, China, was confirmed last Thursday as the country's first patient.