The New Year Grand Sumo Tournament could be canceled if wrestlers continue to become infected with the novel coronavirus, the tournament's chief organizing official said Saturday after five more wrestlers tested positive for the virus. (Japan Today)

The number of people who have died from the new coronavirus in Japan exceeded 4,000 on Saturday, including 13 who were on board a cruise ship. (NHK)

Canada’s Olympic wrestling champion Erica Wiebe has said frontline workers and vulnerable people should be prioritized over Olympic athletes for the new coronavirus vaccine. (Japan Times)

More than 1,000 vehicles were stranded in central Japan on Sunday as heavy snowfalls continued across wide areas of the country, forcing some prefectures to request the Ground Self-Defense Force help in rescue operations. (Japan Today)

The National Police Agency (NPA) is asking the public not to use the emergency 110 phone number to make non-urgent calls. (Japan Today)

A South Korean court ordered Japan on Friday to compensate 12 women who were forced to work as sex slaves in wartime Japanese brothels, in a ruling that could rekindle diplomatic and history feuds between the two countries. (aljazeera.com)

The New Year Grand Sumo Tournament kicked off at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan arena on Sunday without 65 wrestlers belonging to four stables who either tested positive for the new coronavirus or were in close contact with those who did. (NHK)

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Sunday reported 1,494 new cases of the coronavirus, down 774 from Saturday. (Japan Today)

Airlines in Japan canceled 247 domestic flights on Friday due to heavy snow and strong winds in areas along the Sea of Japan and Hokkaido. (NHK)

Japan will further tighten its border controls from Saturday by requiring all people arriving to submit negative results from virus tests taken within 72 hours of their departure for Japan during the period of the latest state of emergency. (Kyodo)

The governors of the greater Osaka area will urge Japan's national government to expand its coronavirus state of emergency to include their prefectures, as the localities set daily records for the spread of infections. (Nikkei)

Japan's public transport providers are considering limiting operations to reduce mobility under the country's new coronavirus state of emergency, which is largely voluntary with no effective punishments for those who do not comply with curfews. (Nikkei)

U.S. Army Medical Department Activity-Japan medical personnel administered the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at Camp Zama, Japan Ja. 6, 2021. (Defense Flash News)

The Japan Sumo Association has decided to have all its members, including wrestlers and stablemasters, tested for coronavirus infection. (NHK)

As countries shift away from fossil fuels, companies are focusing on developing and improving technologies for cleaner fuels. (Nikkei)

Honda Motor will reduce vehicle production due to a supply crunch in semiconductors, Nikkei has learned, a sign that a pandemic-spurred global shortage is threatening the auto industry. (Nikkei)

Japanese business leaders said Thursday support will be necessary for struggling firms under a second state of emergency over the novel coronavirus in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, while they viewed the decision as inevitable due to resurging infections. (Kyodo)

Japan’s Fugaku supercomputer — which in June ranked first in the global Top500 list of such machines, the first time for a Japanese machine in about nine years — was surprisingly not created with the aim of excelling in numerical benchmarks, unlike some of its rivals. (Japan Times)

Japan’s prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, has declared a state of emergency in the greater Tokyo area after a record number of coronavirus cases were reported in the capital and across the country. (theguardian.com)

A Japanese credit research firm says the number of pubs and restaurants going bankrupt last year hit a record high due to the pandemic. (NHK)

A pagoda at Yakushiji, a Buddhist temple listed as a World Heritage site in Japan's ancient capital of Nara, will be partially opened to the public from March after undergoing its first major renovation in more than a century. (Japan Times)

Over 80,000 people have been dismissed or seen their employment contracts terminated rather than renewed in Japan for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic since it began, the labor ministry said Thursday. (Japan Times)

Athletes should be prioritized for the novel coronavirus vaccine so the beleaguered Tokyo Olympic Games can go ahead later this year, according to senior Olympics official Dick Pound. (Japan Today)

Swimming star Rikako Ikee, who was out of competition for 19 months following her leukemia diagnosis in February 2019, will no longer compete at an upcoming meet that had been earmarked as one of her comeback events, organizers said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has reported 2,392 new coronavirus infections on Friday. (NHK)