Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has instructed his coronavirus taskforce to use all available means to prevent the spread of the virus, as the daily number of new cases increases ahead of the winter season.

Suga noted at a taskforce meeting on Tuesday that the national daily tally has exceeded 1,000 recently, and said the government needs to respond to the situation with the strongest sense of urgency.

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has called on South Korea to take the initiative in restoring healthy bilateral relations.

Suga made the remark in a meeting with South Korea's National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has pledged to work with the government of Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido to curb the spread of the coronavirus there.

Hokkaido Governor Suzuki Naomichi visited the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Tuesday to brief Suga about the recent surge of infections in his prefecture.

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide says he hopes to arrange a phone meeting with US President-elect Joe Biden, and a visit to the United States.

Suga told reporters on Monday that he extends warm congratulations to Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris. He said Japan and the US are allies that share universal values such as peace and freedom.

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has posted on Twitter a congratulatory message for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

He wrote, "I look forward to working with you to further strengthen the Japan-US Alliance and ensure peace, freedom, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond."

The Japanese government hopes to build trust between Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and Joe Biden, who is projected to be the next US president.

Most Japanese government officials have reacted calmly to the US media reports that Biden is certain to win the presidential election.

Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has again defended his decision to reject some of the nominees for the Science Council of Japan, saying that it does not undermine the top academic body's independence.

Suga spoke at a Diet committee meeting on Friday about his refusal to appoint six nominees. His decision to break from the custom of appointing everyone recommended by the council has generated controversy.

Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has ruled out new nuclear plants or new reactors for Japan at this point, as the country aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.

Suga was answering questions from Constitutional Democratic Party leader Edano Yukio in the Lower House Budget Committee on Wednesday.

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has sent a message of condolence to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a powerful earthquake and tsunami hit the country.

Suga said he was saddened to hear that the quake left many people dead and caused heavy damage.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has pledged to pursue all options for Japan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

In the Lower House of the Diet on Wednesday, lawmakers asked Suga about his policy speech on Monday.

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has notified UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that his government will aim to achieve a carbon-neutral society by 2050.

Suga spoke to the head of the global body on the phone on Tuesday and explained that he announced the goal in his policy speech in the Diet the previous day.

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has delivered his first policy speech in the Diet since taking office last month. Topping the agenda was the coronavirus pandemic.

Suga said, "The nationwide spread of infection has been declining since late June. But at the moment, this trend is slowing and the situation remains unpredictable. We will do everything to prevent an explosive increase in infections and protect people's health and lives. We will also resume social and economic activities and revitalize the economy."

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide is to deliver a general policy speech on Monday when an extraordinary session of the Diet opens.

This will be the first Diet session since Suga took office in September.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has vowed full support for efforts to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea.

Suga was speaking at a memorial service in Tokyo on Saturday for Yokota Shigeru, the father of Yokota Megumi who was abducted by North Korea in the 1970s. Shigeru died in June.