For the first time in ten weeks, no part of Japan is under a coronavirus state of emergency. But it's far from business as usual with officials and some companies introducing measures to guard against a new surge. (NHK)

Without overseas spectators, this summer's Olympics and Paralympics will likely place an additional financial burden on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. (NHK)

The average price of land in Japan fell for the first time in six years due to declining demand for urban commercial land spurred by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the government said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

A Tokyo-based restaurant chain operator filed a damages suit on Monday against the Tokyo metropolitan government for ordering that business hours be reduced as a public safety measure during the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea theme parks will extend the hours they open daily from April 1, their operator, Oriental Land Co., said Monday. (Japan Times)

Tokyo metropolitan government officials plan to ask bars and restaurants to continue operating for shorter hours in April. (NHK)

Japan will emerge from 10 weeks of coronavirus restrictions on Sunday, just in time for the peak of the annual cherry blossom viewing season. (theguardian.com)

Cults and other dubious groups are approaching university students who feel lonely and isolated by the ongoing closure of classrooms as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into a second year. (Nikkei)

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is set to begin experimenting with its central bank digital currency later this year. BOJ said in the past that it doesn’t intend to issue a digital yen, claiming that Japan’s digital payments are sufficient currently. (coingeek.com)

Tokyo and the IOC won’t allow oversea spectators to attend the summer games. What does this mean for tourism before and after? (ONLY in JAPAN)

In Japan, the state of emergency for Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures expired at the end of the day on Sunday. (NHK)

Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide says he will work to further strengthen Japan's alliance with the United States when he visits the country early next month. (NHK)

Surveillance camera footage submitted to a US court indicates that one of the two men who were arrested on suspicion of helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan met with his daughter at a Tokyo hotel on the day of the escape. (NHK)

A decision has been made to bar overseas spectators from the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer due partly to the unpredictability of coronavirus variants. (NHK)

Despite the COVID-19 state of emergency for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures no longer being in effect from Monday, strict entry restrictions at airports and ports will continue to be in place, with no indication of when they will be eased. (Japan Times)

Japan's government is scaling back its use of the popular messaging app Line and investigating how it is employed across municipalities, as the service comes under scrutiny over data security. (Nikkei)

Osaka Prefecture in western Japan plans to check the body temperatures of shinkansen bullet train passengers arriving from the Tokyo metropolitan area for about three weeks starting on Monday. (NHK)

Shizuoka Prefectural Police arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly kidnapping a middle school girl whose body was found inside a tent in a mountainous area of Hamamatsu City on Wednesday, reports Fuji News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

This is an unboxing of the Japan Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Covid Quarantine Care Package sent to Infected people. (Paolo fromTOKYO)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male Vietnamese national over the alleged possession of 1 kilogram of marijuana in Shinjuku Ward, reports TBS News. (tokyoreporter.com)

A Japanese court has ruled that the only nuclear power plant in the Greater Tokyo area should not be restarted, citing insufficient safety measures in the event of a major earthquake. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga confirmed Thursday that the government will lift the coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures on Sunday, although restrictions on hard-hit restaurants and bars will remain in place. (Nikkei)

The Japanese government will lift the state of emergency in the capital region on March 21, as the pressure on hospitals in Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures ease and more beds become available. (Nikkei)

A nuclear power plant on the Sea of Japan coast had been vulnerable to unauthorized entry in around a dozen locations since March last year, after its security system lost partial functionality and backups were not effective, the country's nuclear regulatory body said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday sentenced a 49-year-old man to 2 1/2 years in prison for involuntarily causing bodily injury to a 53-year-old man whom he poked in the eye with an umbrella, causing the victim to lose his sight in one eye. (Japan Today)