Female flight attendants working for Japan Airlines will be allowed to wear pants and abandon high heels next month, the company said on Thursday, after a feminist campaign took off. (Japan Today)

The Japanese government decided on Friday to invalidate visas issued in 11 countries in Southeast Asia, Middle East and Africa due to the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

The Japanese government will create a special system to provide a one-year grace period for companies to pay tax and social insurance premiums due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

A man was arrested Friday on suspicion of obstructing business after he allegedly delayed a domestic flight in Japan on Thursday immediately before takeoff by telling cabin crew he was infected with the novel coronavirus. (Japan Today)

Mask prices in Tokyo’s densely populated 23 wards jumped 11.3 percent in March from a year before, reflecting supply shortages stemming from the spread of COVID-19, government data showed Friday. (Japan Times)

Large queues formed at supermarkets and stores in Tokyo on Friday as residents in the Japanese capital prepared for a weekend at home, after the city's governor called on them to remain indoors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (Japan Today)

Supermarkets and convenience stores decided Thursday to stay open as usual in the coming days, after a request by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike’s for residents in the capital not to leave home over the weekend. (Japan Times)

On Wednesday night, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike asked residents of Japan’s capital to remain home as much as possible over the coming weekend in order to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. Now, one day after Tokyoites were told to stay in their homes, people in all four of its neighboring prefectures are being told to stay out of the city. (soranews24.com)

Germany has decided that saving lives is more important than saving face. In a rather undiplomatic letter to German citizens in Japan posted on the Embassy Of Germany’s web site on March 24, the embassy did not mince words in discussing Japan’s poor handling of coronavirus testing. It warns that we should assume there are a high number of unreported carriers. (japansubculture.com)

Japan's approach to social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic might seem to other nations around the world like it is very social, and not so distant. (Kyodo)

Japan will impose an entry ban on foreign travelers coming from 21 European countries and Iran as part of stronger measures to contain the new coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike’s call for residents to stay indoors this weekend has sent people rushing to supermarkets to stockpile food and other essentials. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 29-year-old man over the alleged molestation of a girl in Sumida Ward earlier this month, reports TBS News (Mar. 26). (tokyoreporter.com)

The Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that captured headlines after an outbreak of COVID-19 among those on board, left a pier in Yokohama port Wednesday after nearly two months of quarantine. (Japan Times)

About 80 percent of COVID-19 patients from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship showed mild symptoms or none at all, according to a report compiled by the Self-Defense Forces Central Hospital. (Japan Times)

The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday raised the nation’s travel alert level, asking that people avoid nonessential overseas trips due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

Major airlines in Japan say they will consider suspending or cutting more international flights as the foreign ministry raised its travel alert for the entire world on Wednesday, urging Japanese people to refrain from non-essential overseas trips. (NHK)

Veteran comedian Ken Shimura has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his agency said Wednesday, making him the first Japanese entertainment figure to announce their infection publicly. (Kyodo)

The $6 billion that just walked out the door with the postponement of the 2020 Olympics is only the start of the hits Japan's economy will sustain this year. (Nikkei)

Tokyo governor is calling on residents in the city to stay home this coming weekend unless they absolutely need to go out. (NHK)

A day after the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games were postponed by a year, Tokyo's landmark Imperial Hotel began arrangements to release the several hundred rooms it had withheld for organizers of the games during the July-September period. (Nikkei)

"Everybody needs a coach," stressed Bill Gates in the opening of a recent TED Talk. (newsonjapan.com)

Some Japanese hotels saw March and April bookings drop as much as 90% year on year amid the new coronavirus outbreak, according to a survey conducted by the land ministry, as the tourism industry continues to teeter. (Nikkei)

Toyota Motor and Japanese telecom giant NTT are forming a capital tie-up to advance developments toward a so-called "smart city." The project is expected to incorporate the latest artificial intelligence and environmental technologies. (NHK)

The education ministry on Tuesday issued guidelines to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection in schools across Japan that are scheduled to reopen in April after monthlong closures, calling for thorough ventilation of classrooms and warning against gathering in clusters. (Kyodo)