The head of the International Paralympic Committee has pledged to actively prepare for next year's Tokyo Games while prioritizing measures to prevent coronavirus infections.

IPC President Andrew Parsons spoke to NHK as Monday marks a year until the opening of the postponed Paralympics.

The company has announced that they will be “raising the bar” with their Android update support where a bunch of Samsung handsets and tablets will now be eligible for at least three generations worth of updates. This means that depending on the device, your handset or tablet could receive major Android updates up to 2021 or some even going into 2022.

The support devices include Samsung’s Galaxy S series starting with the Galaxy S10 Lite and newer; the Note series which starts from the Note 10 Lite and newer; Samsung’s entire foldable lineup; the Galaxy A series which starts with the A51 and newer; and the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite and newer.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has called on the central government to help ensure that the capital can provide sufficient medical care for coronavirus patients.

Koike on Friday held talks separately with the minister in charge of the coronavirus response, Nishimura Yasutoshi, and with health minister Kato Katsunobu.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has pledged continued support for "hibakusha," or survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing, following an appeal by the city and prefecture of Hiroshima of a ruling on so-called "black rain."

Last month a district court in Hiroshima recognized people who were exposed to the radioactive rain immediately after the bombing as "hibakusha."

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.

Sony has released an exciting new firmware update for Xperia 1 II (Mk2) owners, adding RAW support across all three of its rear camera lenses when using the Photo Pro app. Build version 58.0.A.3.88 is currently rolling out to select regions for the single SIM variant (XQ-AT51) including Russia, US and carriers including O2 UK and Orange in Europe. There is no update for the dual SIM variant (XQ-AT52) at the time of writing, though this should follow shortly.

Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have been briefed about relief efforts for people in need affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Imperial couple has been receiving expert briefings on various areas as the impact of the spread of infections continues.

Japanese financial institutions are offering support for victims of the heavy rains that have battered southwestern and central Japan. Four major banks say they will lend money at reduced interest rates to people who need their homes rebuilt or renovated.

The banks are Sumitomo Mitsui, Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho, and Resona.

As the number of foreign workers in Japan increases, so does the amount of support they need to adjust, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. And on Monday, the government opened a new consultation center aimed at providing a variety of resources under one roof.

The Foreign Residents Support Center brings together eight organizations including the Immigration Services Agency, the legal support center, and the employment security office.

The Japanese government opened a one-stop consultation center in Tokyo on Monday to provide assistance to foreign workers.

The Foreign Residents Support Center, or FRESC, is in Yotsuya, Shinjuku Ward. Eight government-affiliated organizations have offices there, including the Immigration Services Agency and the Japan Legal Support Center.

Monday marks two years since torrential rains devastated large parts of western Japan. As of Wednesday last week, a total of 305 people have died or remain missing in 14 prefectures due to the disaster.

An NHK survey shows that 222 out of the total 296 deaths were directly caused by the disaster, such as landslides and flooding. The other 74 people died later from causes related to the disaster, such as health problems. The figure is up 22 from a year earlier.

The Governor of the Bank of Japan says it will not hesitate to draw up additional easing measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kuroda Haruhiko was speaking to reporters on Tuesday after a two-day policy meeting at which the BOJ decided to expand its corporate financing support program to over one trillion dollars.

Japan's top figure skater, Hanyu Yuzuru, has uploaded video of his performances to encourage people coping with the coronavirus pandemic.

The three-part series lasting about five minutes in total was posted on Wednesday on the official Twitter account of the Japan Skating Federation.

At least 75 critically ill coronavirus patients in Japan have received life-support treatment involving ECMO machines that replace the function of the heart and lungs. The number has nearly doubled in two weeks.

The figure is based on surveys by medical associations, including the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine.