The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has put into full force an ordinance that virtually bans indoor smoking at restaurants with employees. (NHK)

Calls are growing for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus before it is too late. (Japan Times)

A Japanese government panel says Tokyo would become unable to function as the country's capital in about three hours if a large-scale eruption of Mount Fuji were to occur. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a second man over the alleged rape of an intoxicated woman inside a vehicle in Shinjuku Ward two years ago, reports TV Asahi (Mar. 30). (tokyoreporter.com)

Veteran Japanese comedian Shimura Ken passed away on Sunday night at a hospital in Tokyo. The 70-year-old comedy icon was confirmed to have been infected with coronavirus. (NHK)

The death sentence for a Japanese man over the mass murder in 2016 of 19 mentally impaired people at a care home near Tokyo was finalized Tuesday as he withdrew his appeal the previous day. (Kyodo)

Japan’s approach to halting the coronavirus pandemic might seem to other nations around the world like it is very social, and not so distant. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee has announced the new dates for the Tokyo Olympic Games. The Games were postponed until next year due to the global coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

There is no need for the public to panic buy and hoard food even if the government declares a state of emergency as a result of novel coronavirus, retail industry and other experts said. (Japan Times)

Two persons from Sendai City have been confirmed with the novel coronavirus after meeting with two Assistant Language Teachers (ALT) who also tested positive, reports Kahoku Shimpo (Mar. 30). (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo is bracing for the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Over the past week, the capital has seen a surge in infections and now has the most cases among the country's 47 prefectures. (NHK)

A facility for people with disabilities in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, has confirmed a total of 86 coronavirus infections. (NHK)

Japan confirmed 169 additional coronavirus infections on Sunday, the second largest single-day count following the 200 recorded on the previous day. (NHK)

A low pressure system and a cold air mass brought snow to wide areas of the Kanto and Koshin regions in Japan on Sunday. (NHK)

The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee will likely support the idea of delaying the Games to July of next year. (NHK)

Restaurants in Japan are navigating rough waters amid the COVID-19 pandemic, inspiring new ideas as they try to come up with ways to remain afloat. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to intensify its call for people to stay at home after sunset as part of its efforts to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. (NHK)

Non-Japanese speakers who want advice on the new coronavirus can call hotlines run by the Japan Tourism Agency and some local governments. (NHK)

What’s happening in Japan is written all over our faces — our blank, expressionless, masked faces. Never before, it seems safe to say, have so many people gone about masked. (Japan Times)

With the current upheaval caused by COVID-19, Tokyoites have been advised from going outside to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But Tokyo apartments are cramped and constricting, and a solo sojourn in nature can do wonders to alleviate the anxiety the virus is causing. The capital has plenty up its sleeve that means you can bypass popular spots like Ueno Park for a moment of quiet all to yourself. (Japan Times)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave the nation a dire warning Saturday that it could see its hospitals overwhelmed and the death toll skyrocket if the coronavirus gets out of control, but pledged to draw up an economic relief package even bigger than the one used to sustain the economy during the 2008 global financial crisis. (Japan Times)

Japan has reported 200 coronavirus infection cases in a day for the first time. (NHK)

In Japan, college is seen as not only of higher education, but also high fashion. That’s because your four years at university are pretty much your only respite from the uniforms and haircut regulations of middle/high school and the conservative dress codes of most (though not all) Japanese offices. (soranews24.com)

Loss of the ability to smell and taste can be an early sign of coronavirus infection, according to a growing number of reports from around the world. (Nikkei)

A U.S. naval base outside Tokyo has been locked down through the weekend after an aircraft carrier using the base as its home port reported coronavirus infection cases on board, Fox News said Friday, citing U.S. officials. (Japan Today)