Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government will not extend its current request for school closures across Japan to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus and will allow classes to begin as scheduled in the new academic year starting April, the education minister said Friday. (Japan Timesj)

The company that operates Hello Kitty theme parks in Japan has decided to extend their closures due to the spread of the coronavirus. (NHK)

Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday that a male employee at its Takaoka plant in the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, has been confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus. (Japan Times)

A man at the center of a high-profile child abuse case was sentenced to 16 years in prison Thursday for causing the death of his 10-year-old daughter. (Japan Times)

All Nippon Airways Co. is planning for 5,000 of its cabin attendants to take a few days of leave starting April due to flight cancellations forced by the spread of the new coronavirus, sources close to the matter said Thursday. (Kyodo)

The planned state visit by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to Britain in the second quarter of this year will be postponed due to the new coronavirus outbreak, Japan’s top government spokesman said Thursday. (Japan Times)

A government panel of medical experts said Thursday that schools can reopen in areas without new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections, proposing to relax the current nationwide approach to pre-empt a further spread. (Kyodo)

Japanese boy idol band Arashi's compilation of hit singles was the world's best-selling album in 2019, becoming the first Japanese artists to claim the spot, a global music industry group said Thursday. (Kyodo)

On March 3, in response to the yearlong #KuToo protest against employers forcing working women to follow impractical dress codes, like mandatory high heels, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that this should not be allowed. (Nikkei)

Coronavirus infections linked to four live music venues in Osaka appear to be over as no new cases among visitors have been reported for a week, local authorities said Thursday. (Japan Times)

Japan's relatively restrained approach to testing for the novel coronavirus has engendered public frustration, especially as neighboring South Korea makes a massive push with drive-through tests. (Nikkei)

A man infected with the novel coronavirus who went to a Filipino pub earlier this month saying he wanted to “spread the virus” died Wednesday at a hospital in central Japan, investigative sources said. (Japan Times)

Financial assets held by households rose 3.3 percent from a year earlier to a record ¥1.90 quadrillion ($18 trillion) at the end of December due largely to higher stock prices at the time, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

The average price of all types of land in Japan’s rural areas rose last year for the first time since 1992, aided by redevelopment projects and improvement in infrastructure, the government said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Betting is amongst the most popular recreational activities in the world and is enjoyed in most countries. Despite this, gambling has remained elusive in Japan as the country has been generally cool to the concept of betting. (newsonjapan.com)

Japan plans to expand its quarantine measures on Saturday to include people entering the country from most of Europe, Iran and Egypt. (NHK)

The Japanese government and the ruling coalition are considering providing cash to households in an effort to boost personal spending amid the coronavirus outbreak, sources said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

People are the world are spoilt for choice in terms of what they choose to do for entertainment. As well as traditional physical activities like sport and the cinema, people can now stream movies, music, go online, visit forums, and watch videos. However, despite having so much competition, online casinos continue to thrive. (newsonjapan.com)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has begun to shift his messaging on the Tokyo Olympics, in a sign he may have accepted that the deadly coronavirus will make it necessary to postpone the event planned to start in July. (Japan Times)

Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso on Wednesday referred to the 2020 Olympics as "cursed" due to mounting speculation that the Games may need to be postponed or canceled over the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

Gunma Prefectural Police on Monday arrested an intoxicated man who is alleged to have falsely claimed to be infected with the novel coronavirus inside a train in Kiryu City, reports TV Asahi (Mar. 16). (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan's Environment Ministry says waste produced by decontamination work following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident could leak at 12 locations in case of torrential rain. (NHK)

Japan has yet to reach a peak in coronavirus infections, with the number of new cases on a declining trend in Hokkaido but the number of infected people rising in Aichi and Hyogo prefectures, a Kyodo News study showed Tuesday. (Kyodo)

Suicides in Japan in 2019 fell to a historic low, marking the tenth straight year of decline, but youth suicides continued to rise, police said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

When it comes to trading cards, you might be most familiar with Pokémon cards or Yu-Gi-Oh cards, or perhaps old-school baseball cards. But Japan really has a trading card for everything, so would you be surprised to know they even have fishermen trading cards? (soranews24.com)