Officials in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa have again started collecting pictures of the prefecture that were taken during the postwar period, when it was under US control. Their work was suspended for about three years, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2017, officials in the prefecture started a program aimed at collecting pictures and videos in the United States of the 1945 Battle of Okinawa and the postwar period, when the prefecture was controlled by the United States. That period ended in 1972.

Two of three workers rescued on Monday who were buried under a pile of scrap wood that fell on them have died. But the third worker in the accident at a plant of a building-materials maker in central Japan is expected to fully recovery.

Firefighters say they received an emergency call from the Chiyoda Ute plant in Kawagoe Town, Mie Prefecture, around 11:20 a.m. that morning.

Sai Yoichi, who directed the 1993 Japanese film "All Under the Moon," has died. He was 73.

Sai was born in the Japanese prefecture of Nagano in 1949.

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide is facing criticism for dining out with more than five people despite the government's call to avoid such gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The opposition criticized Suga for dining at a steak restaurant in Tokyo with ruling Liberal Democratic Party officials Nikai Toshihiro and Hayashi Motoo and other celebrities.

Medical experts say a surge in new coronavirus cases in Tokyo is starting to overstretch its healthcare system, making it very difficult to provide care for other patients.

The warning came when an advisory panel of infectious disease and public health experts met Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials on Thursday for a weekly assessment of the coronavirus situation.

Mazda introduced the 2021 CX-30 2.5 Turbo earlier this year and now the company has confirmed it will cost a pretty penny.

Japanese Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi says the government will announce a new direction for its "Go To" travel campaign in the coming days as coronavirus cases continue to rise sharply.

Nishimura said on an NHK program on Sunday that the government will impose some restrictions on the campaign, although he thinks there is nothing wrong with the program itself.

Analysis of a large amount of data indicates that the number of travelers from Tokyo to other prefectures over the weekend rose 7 percent nationwide from the figure for a week earlier.

This was the first weekend since trips to and from Tokyo were added to the government's "Go To" campaign to encourage tourism.

An NHK survey shows the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa has the nation's highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the preceding seven days. Officials of the southern island prefecture warn the local medical system remains under strain.

The survey put the figure for Okinawa at about 18 as of Saturday, followed by Tokyo at 16, Fukuoka and Osaka prefectures at 14, and Aichi Prefecture at 13.

The 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE will ring the till at $39,220 (including a $1,120 destination charge) when it goes on sale this summer, Toyota announced Friday, as the company looks to claim the performance high ground in the compact crossover segment with its high-output plug-in hybrid. 

So far, hybrid variants of smaller mainstream two-row crossovers have been focused entirely on efficiency; even Toyota's own RAV4 Hybrid is rated at 41 mpg city, 38 mpg highway and 40 combined on the strength of its 219-horsepower conventional hybrid drive system. 

More than 60 countries and regions have already declared a state of emergency. Here's what it means in Japan.

People in areas subject to the declaration will be asked to stay at home. But it is only a request -- and not mandatory. Public transit will not be stopped because it is deemed an essential service. Supermarkets and stores selling food, medicine and necessary daily goods will also stay open.

The Japan Sumo Association says it is considering what to do about next month's scheduled competition in light of the spread of the new coronavirus.

The second of the annual six regular championships is scheduled to begin at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium from March 8.

Japanese electronics company NEC may have come under cyber-attacks, with about 28,000 data files likely leaked.

Sources say the attacks occurred over several years through 2018. They add the possibly compromised files contained information on defense technologies, such as submarine sonar.

Toyota has officially announced plans to build another small SUV, which will be based on the same platform as the fourth generation Yaris.