Japan's three major convenience-store operators are reporting a sharp drop in profits, as the coronavirus keeps customers at home. (NHK)

Many countries would welcome an unemployment rate of “only” 4 percent, with the luxury of having more jobs than jobseekers. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has called on people to refrain from visiting nightlife districts where coronavirus infections are on the rise. (NHK)

The number of deaths from influenza sharply fell in urban areas in Tokyo this winter, possibly due to preventive measures taken against the new coronavirus. (NHK)

The Bank of Japan's latest quarterly Tankan survey shows that business confidence among large manufactures plunged to the lowest level in over a decade amid the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

The domestic production of eight major Japanese automakers in May plunged a record 61.8 percent from a year earlier to 287,502 vehicles due to factory closures and falling demand amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, data released by the companies showed Monday. (Japan Times)

A plane full of Japanese business travelers has landed in Vietnam for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic prompted each country to issue travel bans. (NHK)

Japanese optical technology company Olympus says it will sell its imaging business, which includes its digital camera division. The decision comes as it is losing its market share to smartphones. (NHK)

The number of coronavirus cases has been rising sharply at airport quarantine among people arriving in Japan even though the epidemic is subsiding in many parts of the country. (NHK)

The Diet wrapped up a 150-day session Wednesday after the ruling coalition rejected calls from the opposition for an extension to the year's end to cope with the ongoing coronavirus crisis. (Japan Times)

A Japanese railway company has invited members of the media to test-ride a new Shinkansen bullet train model, the N700S series. . (NHK)

Shiori Ito, a journalist and symbol of Japan's #MeToo movement, sued cartoonist Toshiko Hasumi for damages on Monday for allegedly defaming her on Twitter. (Japan Today)

Japan's coronavirus-hit tourism sector expects a rebound to take between one to two years after being hit by huge customer losses, a Nikkei survey shows. (Nikkei)

A pair of melons grown in the Hokkaido city of Yubari sold for ¥120,000 ($1,100) in the season's first auction on Monday, 2.4 percent of the price at last year's auction. (Japan Times)

New rules requiring passengers to reserve space free of charge for their extra-large luggage on some shinkansen lines took effect Wednesday, in response to an increase in foreign tourists in recent years. (Japan Times)

The coronavirus pandemic continues to have a significant economic impact, with Japan's GDP plunging during the January-to-March quarter. (NHK)

While China’s tensions with the United States and Australia have been sharply intensifying over its handling of the new coronavirus outbreak, the Asian power has been apparently aiming to bolster ties with its neighbors — Japan and South Korea. (Japan Times)

Japan is casting an even wider protectionist net to shield its big companies. (Japan Times)

Japanese police registered a record-low 20,805 road accidents nationwide in April, data showed Friday, reflecting a decline in vehicle traffic following government requests for people to stay at home due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Today)

With the world's oldest population and one of the most crowded megacities on the planet as its capital, Japan should have provided a fertile breeding ground for the deadly coronavirus. (Japan Today)

One of Japan's best-known business leaders has given frank insights into the benefits of working during the coronavirus pandemic, saying measures taken to fight the outbreak have sharply cut corporate bureaucracy and given him more time to talk to global peers. (Nikkei)

As the coronavirus pandemic brings Japan's dependence on imported medical supplies to the fore, the government has started working with more than 400 domestic companies to bolster production at home. (Nikkei)

The number of small and midsize businesses registered for a cashless payment program, introduced by the government to reduce the negative effects of a hike in the consumption tax last October, topped 1 million in mid-February. (Japan Times)

The number of passengers on shinkansen and limited express trains during this year's Golden Week holidays plunged 95 percent from a year earlier amid the coronavirus outbreak, data from six major railway companies showed Thursday. (Japan Today)

Bankruptcies due to the effects of the new coronavirus sharply increased in Japan in April, with the number reaching nearly 90, especially affecting small and medium-sized firms in the tourism and accommodation sectors, a recent survey showed. (Japan Today)