A man in his 80s who was infected with the new coronavirus died on Thursday in Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido. Fifteen new cases of infection were reported there on the day. (NHK)

The Japan Racing Association said on Thursday that it will hold its horse races without spectators for the time being starting Saturday. (NHK)

COVID-19 claims its first major business casualty in Japan. (soranews24.com)

The game of Bingo is hugely popular all around the world, with thousands of people playing every single day of the year and that includes over 4 million people in the UK who love to play each year. (newsonjapan.com)

The Japanese government is stepping up its protective measures, with a proposed pause on large public gatherings. (NHK)

Suggestions by a senior International Olympics Committee member that the Tokyo Games could be canceled if the coronavirus outbreak is not contained by May drew a swift reaction from Japanese officials, while sponsoring companies are anxiously awaiting the fate of the world's biggest sporting event. (Nikkei)

A health ministry panel approved Wednesday the production and sale of a gene therapy for treating spinal muscular atrophy, a rare incurable disease that destroys muscle function through a decrease in motor neuron cells. (Japan Times)

A court in Japan on Wednesday ruled for the first time that special trials for segregated leprosy patients set up outside of standard courtrooms in the past were unconstitutional. (Japan Times)

More and more Japanese companies are responding to the virus by having their staff work from home. (NHK)

The organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games has stressed it has not started discussions on whether to suspend or postpone the Games due to the ongoing new coronavirus outbreak. (NHK)

Online slot games can provide a life-changing jackpot for the lucky winner. The internet is enveloped with numerous online slot games, however, each providing a different methodology and a diverse winning jackpot. (newsonjapan.com)

All Nippon Airways Co. said Tuesday it will suspend all remaining flights from Kansai airport in Osaka to China next month due to a drop in demand following a coronavirus outbreak in the neighboring country. (Kyodo)

National and other public universities in Japan have begun staging their entrance exams, with precautions taken against the new coronavirus. (NHK)

Japan's government has decided on a basic policy for measures to protect against a domestic outbreak of the new coronavirus. It includes asking people with minor symptoms to recuperate at home, in order to secure adequate care at medical facilities for those who are seriously ill. (NHK)

Japan will launch a review by the end of June aimed at tightening conditions for the export of coal-fired power plants, Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Tuesday. (Japan Today)

Japan's Supreme Court rejected Tuesday calls by three survivors of 1945 U.S. atomic bombings to be recognized as sufferers of radiation diseases, which would cut their medical payments, ruling they do not meet the conditions for those in need of treatment. (Kyodo)

Chitetsu Watanabe, a 112-year-old who was recognized by Guinness World Records earlier this month as the world’s oldest living man, died Sunday at the nursing home where he resided, his family said. (Japan Times)

Black swans and domestic miscalculations push Abenomics to the brink (Nikkei)

The Yomiuri Giants said Tuesday their two preseason games against Central League rival Yakult Swallows on the weekend will be played behind closed doors at Tokyo Dome amid the spread of a new coronavirus. (Kyodo)

Twelve new cases of coronavirus infection were reported around Japan on Monday, bringing the total number of domestic infections, excluding people who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, to 159. (Japan Times)

Japan's government has drafted a basic policy on the coronavirus in a bid to stem the number of new cases. (NHK)

For the first time in over 38 years, the Japan Sumo Association’s rankings, published Monday, have only one wrestler at the sport’s second-highest rank of ozeki. But if sekiwake Asanoyama has his way, that situation will soon be remedied. (Japan Times)

Continued uncertainty surrounding details of a new law on foreign investment is likely to dent appetite toward Japan, experts warned. (Nikkei)

Emperor Naruhito, who turned 60 on Sunday, attended a series of celebratory events at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo the same day, together with his wife, Empress Masako. (Japan Times)

Japan's health ministry says a third passenger from the quarantined Diamond Princess has died. The cause of death was pneumonia. (NHK)