A panel of experts has warned that the coronavirus situation in Tokyo is still extremely serious, despite a recent drop in the weekly average of new cases. (NHK)

At least 15,058 people were on waiting lists for a hospital or a designated accommodations after testing positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this month in the 11 prefectures covered by a state of emergency, a Kyodo News survey found, as public health centers have been swamped with a surge in cases cases. (Japan Times)

Rising coronavirus cases are leading Central Japan Railway to take the unprecedented step of requiring thousands of employees to go on paid leave as passenger numbers drop sharply. (NHK)

A total of 122 people in Japan died at places other than medical institutions between March and December 2020 after contracting the novel coronavirus, police data showed Wednesday. (Japan Times)

A monthlong state of emergency planned by the Japanese government to contain a resurgence of novel coronavirus infections is expected to knock trillions of yen off private consumption, with some economists predicting the economy will return to contraction. (Japan Times)

Japan’s likely decision to declare a state of emergency in the Tokyo area will most probably trigger a contraction in January-March, analysts say, adding to the headache for policymakers struggling to cushion the blow to the economy from the pandemic. (Reuters)

Japan's economy is expected to make its sharpest rebound in decades this year, with consumption set to pick up toward the end of 2021 as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the broader economy eases. (Kyodo)

Sales at major department stores in Japan during New Year's fell sharply as the coronavirus pandemic intensified. Managers downsized their sales campaigns, including "lucky bag" offerings, during the seasonal shopping period. (NHK)

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday corrected statements he had made in the Diet, apologizing for what he said were mistakes regarding a political funding scandal that has also cast a pall over the current prime minister, Yoshihide Suga. (Japan Today)

She’s worried about side effects and has faith in the precautions already underway. The 32-year-old elite athlete isn’t alone. (washingtonpost.com)

Japan set a single-day record for COVID-19 cases on Saturday, passing the 3,000 threshold for the first time ever, NHK reported, as Tokyo also confirmed a record 621 new infections and Osaka registered 429 — a two-week high for the prefecture. (Japan Times)

Some people’s lives are like horror movies. It’s strange that, in an age that can create virtual reality, self-driving cars and intelligent machines, the world’s third-largest economy can’t solve the problem of human misery. Maybe it’s insoluble. (Japan Times)

NHK has learned that the number of elderly people found to be infected with the coronavirus has nearly doubled in Tokyo from the figure in August, when Japan was hit by the second wave of infection. (NHK)

Medical experts have warned that the number of serious coronavirus cases is expected to rise further, likely overstretching Tokyo's general medical care system. (NHK)

Infectious disease experts have weighed in on Saturday's decision by the government to review its Go To Travel tourism promotion campaign, criticizing the move as too late and likely to have little effect in preventing the further spread of COVID-19. (Japan Times)

The daily tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan has hit a record for the fourth day and a senior official says Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government may reimpose limits on sports and other large events to curb the surge. (aljazeera.com)

The overseas outlets of U.S. retail giant Walmart have been burdened by a jinx, the severity of which seems inversely proportional to their distance from the American mainland. In other words, the further away, the weaker their earnings. (Nikkei)

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have made online inspections of Japanese Red Cross Society hospitals dealing with coronavirus patients. (NHK)

Nikkei Inc. announced on Wednesday that it will remove NTT Docomo as a component of the Nikkei Stock Average, as the wireless carrier is expected to be delisted in December after parent Nippon Telegraph and Telephone turns it unit into a wholly owned subsidiary via a tender offer. (Nikkei)

As the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on education systems worldwide, a Japanese program to welcome more than 300,000 foreign students is at a crossroads. (NHK)

Japan's health ministry has reported that 130 cases of coronavirus clusters and other multiple infections were confirmed across the nation in the week to November 9. (NHK)

Japan will seek to keep in step with the new U.S. administration under President-elect Joe Biden in taking fiscal stimulus steps to revive the pandemic-hit world economy, while watching whether Washington will seek to return to a Trans-Pacific free trade pact it quit three years ago, Japanese officials say. (Japan Times)

Leading Japanese machinery maker Kawasaki Heavy Industries says it will spin off its struggling motorcycle and engine businesses next year as part of a major restructuring. (NHK)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. is considering sharply scaling back its staff and budget for developing the first domestically manufactured passenger jet, effectively freezing the operation amid a slump in demand caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, sources close to the matter said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Bullying cases recognized by elementary, junior high, high and special-needs schools in Japan in fiscal 2019 grew by some 60,000 from the previous year to a record 612,496, the education ministry said Thursday. (Japan Times)