The world-famous Ghibli Museum in Tokyo, featuring the works of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, will be closed from Tuesday through March 17 due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Kyodo)

The U.S. State Department on Saturday called for “increased caution” when traveling to Japan, escalating the alert to level 2 on the four-level advisory scale amid reports that a new coronavirus originating in China is spreading in Japanese communities via unknown infection routes. (Japan Times)

Japan's health ministry says it has to retest 23 passengers who were allowed to leave a new coronavirus-stricken cruise ship in Yokohama port, as the initial testing procedure was incomplete. (NHK)

The novel coronavirus outbreak has forced as much as 56 Japanese companies to disclose that they will downgrade earnings forecasts or expect a significant slow down of sales, according to credit research specialist Tokyo Shoko Research. (Nikkei)

Emperor Naruhito, on the occasion of his 60th birthday on Sunday, thanked the people for supporting him since he ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne last year and reiterated his determination to fulfill his symbolic role, while expressing sympathy for those affected by the outbreak of the new coronavirus. (Kyodo)

A teacher in her 60s at a public junior high school east of Tokyo has been confirmed to be infected with the virus. She showed symptoms of nausea while teaching in Chiba prefecture . (NHK)

A woman in her 60s in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, has tested positive for the new coronavirus after disembarking from the quarantined cruise ship docked near Tokyo. (NHK)

Nine new cases of coronavirus infection were reported in Japan on Friday. (NHK)

The 2020 Top League season got off to a strange start as it began in the winter instead of its usual start time in the autumn. (newsonjapan.com)

Theme parks in Japan featuring Hello Kitty and other characters will close temporarily in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (NHK)

Twenty-three providers of cashless payment services have registered to participate in a government-led reward-point program for holders of My Number social security and tax identification cards, the internal affairs ministry said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

With hay fever season ramping up and the flu still thriving, the spread of the novel coronavirus poses a challenge for medical institutions nationwide, which face the prospect of being flooded with patients who believe they have COVID-19. (Japan Times)

Two passengers who were aboard the quarantined cruise ship docked near Tokyo have died. They had been hospitalized after showing symptoms and tested positive for the new coronavirus last week. (NHK)

A wave of influenza has been significantly waning in Japan compared with last year, government data has shown, as many people have become wary of infection with a new pneumonia-causing coronavirus. (Japan Times)

Foreign investors purchasing a 1% or more stake in a Japanese company will be subject to prescreening if the target company is included in 12 specified sectors deemed critical to national security, such as arms, aircraft and space-related industries, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

A Japanese infection control expert removed YouTube videos Thursday in which he criticized the handling of the coronavirus outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama, saying the situation had improved. (Japan Today)

Japanese authorities confirmed 705 cases of the new coronavirus as of 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday. (NHK)

The gambling industry has seen massive growth in recent years, thanks to the increased penetration of the Internet. (newsonjapan.com)

The number of foreign visitors to Japan fell for the fourth straight month in January, down 1.1 percent from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, with sharper declines seemingly inevitable in the months ahead due to the new coronavirus outbreak. (Japan Times)

Multinational companies are avoiding travel to and from Japan over fears the country could be the next hot spot in the coronavirus outbreak. (Nikkei)

The spread of the new coronavirus has prompted some Japanese companies to alter their work schedules, or even tell staff to stay home. (NHK)

With the Japanese government announcing newly discovered cases of coronavirus infection within the country several times this month, the whole country is on edge regarding the disease. (soranews24.com)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, has announced plans to send a probe to one of Mars' moons and bring back samples from its surface. (NHK)

Authorities in some prefectures where people are confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus are providing multilingual information services for foreigners visiting or living in Japan. (NHK)

Nipppombashi Street Festa regularly draws over 200,000 people to city’s Denden Town neighborhood, but not this year. (soranews24.com)