As coronavirus cases surge in a number of places in Japan, most notably Hokkaido in the far north and Tokyo, the government’s task force on the pandemic has warned that more needs to be done to head off a deeper crisis in the coming winter months. (scmp.com)

Japan's tobacco companies have long held on to an unwritten rule: never raise the cost of a pack of cigarettes more than a single coin. (Nikkei)

East Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday it will conduct autonomous test runs of its E7-series shinkansen bullet trains next fall, with the aim of operating such automated trains in the future amid a labor shortage. (Kyodo)

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has instructed his coronavirus taskforce to use all available means to prevent the spread of the virus, as the daily number of new cases increases ahead of the winter season. (NHK)

Japan's prime minister has instructed his cabinet to compile a third supplementary budget draft for fiscal 2020 (NHK)

The number of suicides in Japan rose for a fourth straight month in October. (NHK)

Ozeki Asanoyama withdrew from the ongoing November Grand Sumo Tournament with a deltoid muscle injury to his right shoulder, the Japan Sumo Association said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday began taking online applications for refunds on tickets to the games, which have been postponed until next summer because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

Japan's weather officials will stop observations of about 90 percent of plants and animals that have continued for nearly 70 years. (NHK)

Although U.S. President Donald Trump continues to stew over the election’s outcome, the Japanese government is already moving ahead with the conclusion shared by most world leaders: Democratic challenger Joe Biden will be the next leader of the United States. (Japan Times)

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama shot a 7-under 63 in the final round of the Houston Open on Sunday and finished in a two-way tie for second place, two strokes behind Mexico's Carlos Ortiz. (Kyodo)

Hokkaido confirmed 200 new cases of the novel coronavirus Monday, prefectural government officials said, hitting the 200 threshold for the first time amid a worrying surge in cases in some areas of the country. (Japan Times)

A key gauge of business conditions in Japan has improved for the fourth month in a row, potentially fanning hopes of economic recovery even as the pandemic continues. (NHK)

Japan's labor ministry says more than 70,000 people in the country have lost or are about to lose their jobs because of the coronavirus outbreak. (NHK)

Japan will prioritize administering coronavirus vaccines to older people over those with chronic diseases when they become available, as the former face a higher risk of contracting a severe form of the COVID-19 respiratory illness, the health ministry said Monday. (Japan Times)

The 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival came to a close Monday, with a screwball romantic comedy by Japanese director Akiko Ohku winning the sole award to be bestowed this year amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodok)

A man and a woman jumped to their deaths from an 18-floor apartment building in Tokyo on Sunday night. (Japan Today)

SoftBank Group said Monday its first-half net profit soared 346.7%, sealing a strong recovery after a massive annual loss, as tech stocks rally and the firm sheds assets to shore up its finances. (Japan Times)

Resurgent komusubi Terunofuji handed ozeki Asanoyama his first defeat on Monday, the second day of the November Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan. (Japan Times)

Hayato Sakamoto reached Japan's iconic 2,000-hit mark in the first inning of the Yomiuri Giants' game against the Yakult Swallows on Sunday, arriving at the milestone in his 14th season in Nippon Professional Baseball. (Japan Times)

Japan's Bullet Trains (Shinkansen) are a joy to travel on. (Abroad in Japan)

The transition to a new US administration will have worldwide implications. People in Japan have been speaking about their expectations for the next president's handling of global issues. (NHKn)

The government said Friday that it will set up a panel of experts to discuss issues related to the acquisition and use by foreign groups or entities of land that is important to the country’s national security. (Japan Times)

Japan will ease entry restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus for athletes who will travel to the country for competition or training in the run-up to next summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. (Japan Today)

In the COVID-19 era, billions of people around the world wonder what leaders are doing to contain the economic fallout. For the Japanese, though, it is less about what than where. (Nikkei)