The Tokyo metropolitan government on Wednesday reported 491 new cases of the coronavirus, up 79 from Tuesday. (Japan Today)

Some 390 Olympic and Paralympic volunteers have decided to give up their roles in the wake of sexist remarks by Tokyo Games organizing committee chief Yoshiro Mori, the committee said Monday. (Japan Today)

The organizing committee of this summer's Tokyo Olympics is planning to arrange an extraordinary meeting of executives, possibly by the end of this week, to discuss its response to sexist remarks made last week by its president that have triggered a backlash in Japan and abroad, sources close to the matter said Monday. (Kyodo)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 412 new coronavirus infections in the capital on Tuesday. The daily tally has been below 500 for three days in a row. (NHK)

About 5,000 people held a rally outside the Myanmar embassy in Tokyo to call for the release of the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained in a coup on Monday. (NHK)

Eiko Harada, who served as the head of the Japanese subsidiaries of McDonald’s Corp. and Apple Inc., has been arrested for alleged domestic violence, Tokyo police said Saturday. (Japan Times)

Anyone wondering how, oh how, Japan could trail the United Arab Emirates, Benin and Timor-Leste in gender equality has never met Yoshiro Mori. (Nikkei)

Tokyo's benchmark stock index reached its highest level in more than 30 years on Monday morning. (NHK)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 276 new coronavirus infections in the capital on Monday. The daily tally dropped below 300 for the first time since December 7. (NHK)

Police in Higashi-Murayama, Tokyo, have arrested a 36-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of assaulting and robbing an Uber Eats deliverer last month. (Japan Today)

There's much to love about matcha, a painstakingly produced green tea powder used in traditional tea ceremony as well as a growing variety of sweets and other innovative dishes. (NHK)

A petition calling for action against Yoshiro Mori, head of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee who caused an uproar with sexist comments, gathered tens of thousands of signatures on Friday, a day after its launch by Japanese activists. (Japan Today)

Just over 21 percent of people in Japan are washing or sanitizing their hands appropriately amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to an online survey by a team drawn from Tokyo Medical University and other institutions. (Kyodo)

A Japanese health ministry survey shows that less than one percent of people in Tokyo and four other prefectures are estimated to have had antibodies against the coronavirus last December. (NHK)

The rise of "inward-looking youth", with little interest in venturing outside Japan, has caused consternation among Japanese journalists, policymakers and business leaders in recent years. (economist.com)

When Japan rolled out its contact-tracing app last summer to fight the coronavirus, nobody expected that a major flaw affecting about one-third of users would go overlooked for more than four months. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested the director of a talent agency for allegedly taking nude photographs of a middle school girl seeking to enter the idol industry, reports TBS News. (tokyoreporter.com)

Olympic officials have unveiled anti-coronavirus guidelines to be observed by international sports federations taking part in the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. (NHK)

With the latest extension of the state of emergency, foreign travelers looking to enter Japan will have to wait at least another month, as a total ban on new entries will remain in place through March 7. (Japan Times)

Upper house member Anri Kawai, who was found guilty last month of vote buying in the 2019 election, submitted Wednesday her resignation as a lawmaker, dealing a further blow to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's administration already suffering from falling approval ratings. (Japan Today)

SoftBank Group on Wednesday made its coronavirus testing service available to individuals in Japan via an app offered by its cellphone service provider, a move that shows the investor's broader ambitions in the health care technology business. (Nikkei)

After igniting a social media backlash and catching international media attention, the head of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee is apologizing for controversial comments. (NHK)

The head of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee on Wednesday said that meetings with many women tend to "drag on" for longer than necessary. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male contestant in a popularity contest at Toyo University for allegedly having sex with an underage girl last year, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Japanese lawmakers have just enacted legislation that will allow tougher enforcement of anti-virus rules. The legal revisions come as eleven prefectures -- including Tokyo -- remain under a state of emergency. (NHK)