A cafe in central Tokyo is using robots to serve customers. (South China Morning Post)

Convenience store operator Seven & i Holdings will launch delivery services across Japan as early as 2026, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

The Japanese government and the Tokyo Metropolitan government appealed on Monday to hospitals in the capital to accept more COVID-19 patients as increasing infections has made it increasingly difficult to get access to care. (Reuters)

Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture is called Little Edo (Old Japan Capital in 400 years ago), it's only 30-40 min from Tokyo Ikebukuro Station. (Rion Ishida)

The number of private properties available for vacation rentals in Japan has declined, as the pandemic caused a nosedive in travel demand and dashed hopes for an influx of foreign visitors during the Tokyo Games. (Japan Times)

Authorities in Tokyo are considering plans to convert some of the city’s Olympics and Paralympics venues into temporary medical facilities as they combat soaring COVID-19 infections that have piled pressure on the health care system. (Japan Times)

Of the minors dealt with by Tokyo police last year on suspicion of violating the cannabis control law, 37% said that cannabis is not harmful, a survey by the Metropolitan Police Department showed Saturday. ()

Medical experts in Japan say people who are recovering from the coronavirus at home should frequently check their blood oxygen levels because their conditions could worsen without noticeable symptoms. (NHK)

The National Center for Child Health and Development has released a guide (Japanese only) for taking care of children infected with the novel coronavirus at home. (Japan Times)

A giant symbol of the Tokyo Paralympics has arrived in Tokyo Bay, with the Games' opening scheduled for Tuesday. (NHK)

Fans of Japan's Mos Burger now can order a meal and have it brought to their table without interacting face-to-face with an employee. But there is more to this month's robotic initiative than meets the eye. (Nikkei)

The Japanese government expanded the coronavirus state of emergency on Friday to cover a total of 13 prefectures. It also increased the number of prefectures under quasi-emergency measures to 16. (NHK)

Japanese actor Shinichi Chiba, known abroad as Sonny Chiba, who dazzled action movie fans in Japan and overseas with karate and other martial arts techniques, died Thursday at a hospital near Tokyo due to pneumonia associated with COVID-19, his office said. He was 82. (Kyodo)

Afghan athlete Zakia Khudadadi made a plea for help on Tuesday as she sought to escape Kabul and revive her shattered dream of becoming the country's first female competitor at a Paralympic Games. ( INQUIRER.net)

Johnny & Associates Inc. announced today that its honorary chairperson, Mary Yasuko Fujishima, sister of music mogul and company founder Johnny Kitagawa, died of pneumonia at a hospital in Tokyo on Aug. 14. She was 93 years old. (Japan Times)

The 2021 Japanese Formula One Grand Prix has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the second successive year, race organisers said on Wednesday. (nasdaq.com)

A new island has been discovered near Iwoto Island located around 1,200 kilometers south of Tokyo after a submarine volcano began erupting late last week, the Japan Coast Guard said Monday. (Japan Today)

Tokaido Shinkansen NOZOMI 64 is the last Shinkansen bound for Tokyo. However, Sunrise SETO&IZUMO takes you from Osaka to Tokyo even after the last Shinkansen. (Kuga's Travel)

The Tokyo Games athletes' village reopened quietly on Tuesday, one week before the Paralympics. Neither a ceremony nor events were held, due to anti-coronavirus measures. (NHK)

Japan’s coronavirus state of emergency will continue through September 12 rather than finishing at the end of this month as initially planned, the government decided Monday (The Diplomat)

The four parties involved in organizing the Tokyo Paralympics say there will be no spectators at any of the venues. (NHK)

Maki Kaji, the creator of the popular numbers puzzle Sudoku whose life's work was spreading the joy of puzzles, has died, his Japanese company said Tuesday. He was 69 and had bile duct cancer. (Japan Today)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has decided to scale down its contact-tracing program for identifying people who may have had close contact with those infected with the new coronavirus. (Japan Times)

China has strongly protested an offering made by Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo and Sunday's visits by his Cabinet members. Japan marks the end of World War Two on August 15. (NHK)

Japan's economy made a modest rebound in the April to June period. The first growth in two quarters comes due mainly to higher exports, while a recovery in consumer spending was slow. (NHK)