The city of Kitakyushu in Japan's southwest said Friday it has been hit by a second wave of coronavirus infections following a recent surge in the number of new cases. (Japan Today)

Despite Nissan Motor Co.'s latest efforts to become more cost-efficient and profitable by strengthening its collaboration with Renault SA, its business downturn may be causing a costly delay in the global race toward new mobility technologies, analysts say. (Japan Times)

The countdown is on for one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan, as the clock ticks down to 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, when the Japanese Derby will be run. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike announced Friday that phase two of the capital’s three-part plan to peel back coronavirus countermeasures will begin on Monday. (Japan Times)

The operator of Tokyo Skytree, a popular tourist destination in the Japanese capital, said Friday it will reopen the landmark tower on Monday after a three-month closure due to the spread of coronavirus infections. (Kyodo)

People in Tokyo have been enjoying their first weekend since the Japanese capital ended a state of emergency that was declared due to the coronavirus. ()

At the beginning of April, a young sumo wrestler known as Shobushi came down with a fever. His coaches tried calling a local public health center to get him a coronavirus test, but the phone lines were busy. (Japan Times)

Emperor Emeritus Akihito visited a biology research institute inside the Imperial Palace on Thursday in his first return to the palace since moving to a temporary residence in Tokyo about two months ago, the Imperial Household Agency said. (Japan Times)

Economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and National Governors’ Association Chairman Kamon Iizumi agreed Thursday to work together in promoting “a new way of living” and migration to rural areas to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Japan Times)

Japan's textile imports surged in April, fuelled by growing demand for face masks. (NHK)

Nissan Motor has posted its first net loss in 11 years in the business year through March, amounting to more than 670 billion yen, or 6.2 billion dollars. (NHK)

NTT Docomo, Japan's largest mobile carrier, said Thursday it has secured exclusive rights to offer Disney's streaming service Disney+ in the country starting June 11. (Nikkei)

Restrictions to contain the coronavirus are slowly being eased in Japan and life is starting to get back to normal. But the mayor of Kitakyushu City in southwestern Japan says COVID-19 cases are on the rise again. (NHK)

The Japanese government has compiled a second supplementary budget for the current fiscal year in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The planned spending of 31.9 trillion yen, or more than 296 billion dollars, is a record for a supplementary budget. (NHK)

Medical cannabis, particularly CBD, is one of the most discussed topics in the world today. (newsonjapan.com)

Japan's Diet has enacted legislation to tighten regulations on IT giants by requiring them to ensure transparency of their online business transactions with their business partners. (NHK)

Fuji Television will terminate the latest series in its popular reality show "Terrace House," the Japanese broadcaster said Wednesday, four days after one of its cast members was found dead in a suspected suicide believed to have links with cyber-bullying fueled by her behavior in an episode. (Kyodo)

The announcement by Las Vegas Sands Corp. to withdraw from building an integrated casino resort at the start of May came as a major setback in the country's efforts to popularise casinos. (newsonjapan.com)

Seventy percent of Japanese prefectural boards of education say schooling will be limited in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, despite the government's lifting of the state of emergency, a Nikkei survey has found. (Nikkei)

Police in Kyoto, western Japan, have arrested a suspect in last year's deadly arson attack on Kyoto Animation's studio. They say the suspect has admitted that the allegations against him are true. (NHK)

Mobile phone data shows there was only a slight increase in the number of people around train stations and business streets in Tokyo and four other prefectures the day after the state of emergency was lifted. (NHK)

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday began discussions on new rules to stop online abuse after the death of Netflix star Hana Kimura, who had reportedly suffered from social media bullying. (Nikkei)

The Japanese government is looking to revive the tourism industry, a key driver of the economy that has been battered by the novel coronavirus pandemic, by paying for people to go on vacation in the country. (Kyodo)

Japan is slowly opening up for business again. Tuesday marks the first day since the lifting of the state of emergency, put in place in April for the coronavirus. (NHK)

Japan remained the world’s largest creditor at the end of 2019, with the net balance of external assets held by its government, companies and individual investors hitting a record ¥364.53 trillion ($3.40 trillion), the Finance Ministry said Tuesday. (Japan Times)