A botanical garden in South Korea has set up a statue of a man kneeling and bowing his head in front of a statue of a girl symbolizing those referred to as comfort women. (NHK)

Japan's top government spokesperson says 550 clusters of coronavirus infections had been confirmed across the country as of Tuesday. (NHK)

A bodyguard of Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but Kono himself is negative, police and the Defense Ministry said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

Japan is planning a reservation system for business people to get coronavirus tests before they go abroad. This comes as the country prepares to boost international business travel, mainly with other parts of Asia. (NHK)

Duty-free store operator Laox will close half of its locations in Japan, the company said Tuesday, seeing no recovery on the horizon from a plunge in Chinese, South Korean and other Asian tourists. (Nikkei)

Analysts at Fitch Ratings say the impact of the coronavirus pandemic has prompted them to cut their outlook for Japan's credit rating. (NHK)

Japan's government is pushing ahead with the distribution of its much derided masks even though commercially made masks are now readily available, prompting a renewed outcry on social media. (Japan Today)

The coronavirus continues to spread across Japan. Nearly 1,000 cases were reported on Tuesday with several prefectures recording new daily records. (NHK)

A Japanese research team has announced the discovery of traces of the largest impact craters in the solar system on a moon of Jupiter. (Japan Times)

Japan's ruling party will urge the government to restrict the use of Chinese-developed apps like TikTok and better protect sensitive information, aiming to ensure that the country can keep working closely with the U.S. on security matters. (Nikkei)

Torrential rain has caused the Mogami River in Yamagata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, to overflow its banks in four different locations. (NHK)

Japan's land ministry says the Mogami River in Yamagata Prefecture has overflowed its banks late Tuesday due to record rainfall in the country's northeastern part. The ministry is calling on residents to be on the highest alert. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police estimate that a bar operator in the Roppongi entertainment district swindled foreigners out of more than 100 million yen annually since 2013, reports the Sankei Shimbun (July 28). (tokyoreporter.com)

A project is under way to breed a protected seahorse species that is widely used in traditional kampo medicine. (NHK)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 250 new cases of coronavirus infections on Wednesday. (NHK)

A high court scrapped on Tuesday a lower court ruling and acquitted an assistant nurse over a 2013 incident in which an 85-year-old woman at a care home in central Japan died after eating a doughnut she was given. (Japan Times)

If more regions are excluded from the government’s Go To Travel tourism promotion campaign, discounted portions of the fees for trips to such areas booked before their exclusions will be covered by the travelers, the Japan Tourism Agency has said. (Japan Times)

Casinos are great for relaxation and fun. Staking bets on games that can both offer you great joy and profits if you win is exciting. (newsonjapan.com)

With the end of July drawing near, it is looking likely that not a single typhoon will form in the month. It would be the first typhoon-free July since the Meteorological Agency started taking records in 1951. (Japan Times)

Japanese authorities confirmed 598 new coronavirus cases nationwide on Monday. (NHK)

On 21st July 2020, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) along with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has confirmed that it will launch auctions four offshore wind sites. (4coffshore.com)

Off a narrow corridor above a store selling Persian rugs in central Tokyo, a small office houses a private operation that won a tender in April to distribute more than US$20 billion in government aid to businesses hit by the coronavirus. (channelnewsasia.com)

The engineers at Gundam Factory Yokohama had the dream of building a giant walking robot and nothing—not even a pandemic—can stop them from realizing it. (avclub.com)

Trading began Monday on a new comprehensive derivatives exchange in Osaka, western Japan. The aim is to attract investment from around the world with the one-stop trading platform for financial and commodities futures. (NHK)

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Monday reported 131 new cases of coronavirus infection, marking the first time in seven days that the capital's single-day tally has totaled fewer than 200. (Japan Today)