About one in four people who cycle to work in Tokyo began commuting by bicycle in order to avoid crowds during the novel coronavirus pandemic, a recent online survey found. (Kyodo)

Seven-Eleven Japan, the country's largest convenience store chain, has embarked on a major review of what a typical store looks like. (Nikkei)

More than 90 percent of municipalities in the nation intend to shorten summer breaks at public schools following prolonged school closures due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, an education ministry survey has found. (Japan Times)

AKB48 member Kayoko Takita was confirmed to have been infected with coronavirus on Sunday. (soranews24.com)

Japan's government says it will compensate people for cancelation fees for bookings made under a discount program to promote domestic tourism. (NHK)

Former Nissan Motor Co Ltd Chairman Carlos Ghosn took a swipe at his old employers in a newspaper interview on Sunday, calling the Renault and Nissan results "pathetic", driven as much by a lack of joint leadership than the COVID-19 pandemic. (Japan Today)

Two deaths from the coronavirus were confirmed in Japan on Monday, bringing the nationwide total to 1,001. The tally includes 13 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was docked just outside the capital earlier this year. (NHK)

Japan's prefectural governors on Sunday decided to ask the central government to consider excluding more areas from a travel campaign as necessary to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Kyodo)

A large-scale search has started in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, for two people who remain missing more than two weeks after record amounts of rain fell in the area. (NHK)

Japan's health ministry has expanded the criteria for people eligible to undergo coronavirus testing using public funds. (NHK)

Only 23.9 percent of people in Japan are in favor of holding the postponed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics next summer as scheduled and over half are dissatisfied with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's response to the novel coronavirus, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday. (Japan Times)

Japan's top government spokesperson has suggested that police could inspect bars and nightclubs to check if they are taking strict measures against the coronavirus. (NHK)

Sumo began a new tournament in front of a live audience Sunday, despite a steady rise in coronavirus infections, with fans voicing both joy and caution about watching the Japanese spectacle during the pandemic. (thejakartapost.com)

The government is considering covering cancellation fees incurred by Tokyoites who were excluded at the last minute from a domestic tourism promotion created to help coronavirus pandemic-hit regions, sources close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday. (Japan Times)

Officials are celebrating a successful launch of a Japanese rocket. It's part of the United Arab Emirates mission to Mars. Scientists and researchers in the UAE hope it will shed new light on the red planet. (NHK)

Universal Studios Japan in Osaka on Monday began accepting visitors from all over Japan, even though coronavirus infections in the prefecture have spiked in recent days. (Japan Today)

Asia's first spaceport, located at Oita Airport on the Japanese island of Kyushu, is readying support for Virgin Orbit as the company looks to fire off its LauncherOne rocket in 2022. (Nikkei)

For a country that is facing a major labor shortage, Japan has been slow in the digitalization of the workplace. (Nikkei)

Police sources say a popular Japanese actor, Miura Haruma, died on Saturday. (NHK)

A woman in Japan got more than she bargained for after visiting the doctor with an irritated throat, as she was told that a worm was living inside her tonsil. (herald-review.com)

An event to pray for the safety and success of the July Grand Sumo Tournament was held on Saturday at an arena in Tokyo. Only a limited number of sumo officials were allowed to attend due to the coronavirus threat. (NHK)

The canopied "Takamikura" imperial throne in which Japan's emperor proclaimed his enthronement last October was put on public display at Kyoto Imperial Palace on Saturday. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials reported 290 new cases of coronavirus infection on Saturday. (NHK)

The Ainu are Japan's indigeneous people who live in Hokkaido, it's northernmost prefecture. (Life Where I'm From )

Saturday marks exactly one year since the deadly arson attack at a studio of Kyoto Animation in Kyoto, Japan. (NHK)