Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has effectively given up on plans to change the start of the nation's school year from April to September. (NHK)

Experts in Japan are calling on people to use face masks cautiously in the summer when the risk of heatstroke increases. (NHK)

Japan approved Tuesday a PCR coronavirus test using saliva, which is much safer and easier compared with the currently dominant method, which collects mucus from the back part of the nose. (Japan Times)

Japan's Diet on Tuesday enacted a revised road traffic law that will impose tougher penalties on drivers involved in road rage incidents. (NHK)

The balance of money circulating in Japan’s economy reached ¥543 trillion in May, hitting a record high for the second straight month, as the central bank pumped more cash to cushion the blow to businesses and consumers from the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

Japan's tourism industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. As people adjust to a new normal in daily life, tourism officials are also trying to come up with a new normal for vacations. (NHK)

East Japan Railway Co. will accelerate plans to open 100 unmanned convenience stores within the next four years, sources close to the matter said Tuesday, as it takes advantage of the need to reduce human contact amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

Police in Japan say they've made the first arrest for the violation of a ban on reselling masks, which was introduced to stop them from being resold at inflated prices amid the coronavirus outbreak. (NHK)

Popular beaches in the Shonan area near Tokyo are likely to have no beach huts or life guards this summer as a number of beach operators have given up on opening amid strict coronavirus control measures. (Japan Today)

A Yokohama suburb looks to forbid people from using smartphones while walking on roads or in public spaces, in hopes of preventing accidents caused by distracted pedestrians. (Nikkei)

Japanese health officials confirmed 37 new cases of coronavirus infection across Japan on Monday, bringing the total to 16,949. (NHK)

Mayu Watanabe, a former member of the popular Japanese all-girl idol group AKB48, has retired from the entertainment industry due to health reasons, her agency said Monday. (Japan Times)

Japan is considering easing entry bans on people from four Asia-Pacific countries where coronavirus infections are now apparently under control. (NHK)

Many tourist spots across Japan reopened Monday, a week after the full lifting of a state of emergency, with precautions in place against the novel coronavirus amid growing concern over a second wave of infections. (Kyodo)

Regulations to protect workers in Japan from abusive bosses and colleagues took effect Monday to criticism that it only provides a road map to desk-bound bullies. (Nikkei)

Major firms in Japan on Monday fully started interviews, written tests and other activities to hire students graduating in spring 2021, with companies and students both struggling to adjust to unprecedented online recruiting methods introduced to cope with the new coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

Manga artist George Akiyama, known as the author of the "Haguregumo" manga series, died on May 12, major publisher Shogakukan Inc. announced Monday. He was 77. (Japan Times)

A national university in northeastern Japan on Monday ended in principle the long-standing custom of requiring documents be stamped with seals, in a bid to promote workplace efficiency and teleworking among its staff. (Kyodo)

While still sitting on the possible cusp of second-wave coronavirus outbreaks in Japan, shops and attractions are slowly getting back to business. Far from a full blown reopening, however, tight restrictions are being exercised in several industries such as amusement park guests being asked to refrain from showing emotions and to practice social distancing with the ghosts in haunted houses. (soranews24.com)

Universal Studios Japan will reopen its doors on June 8 to annual ticket holders who live in Osaka Prefecture after being closed for around three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the operator said Monday. (Japan Times)

In Italy, they sing from balconies. In the UK, they place pictures of rainbows in windows. In India, they chant "Go corona." Around the world, solidarity in the face of the coronavirus is taking many forms. In Japan, that form has three legs, a beak, scaly skin and floor-length hair. Meet Amabie, the 19th century half-fish, half-human that's resurfaced to keep people safe. (NHK)

A 58-year-old member of a yakuza gang was wounded in a shooting in Okayama on Saturday afternoon. (Japan Today)

Japan's government is asking people to continue taking preventative measures against the coronavirus after a renewed surge in cases in the southwestern city of Kitakyushu. (NHK)

Top favorite Contrail remained on track to win the Japanese triple crown this year after blowing past the field in the 87th running of the Japanese Derby on Sunday. (Kyodo)

A common situation when visiting or living in other countries is having to talk about where you come from. Unless you happen to be from one of the handful of major metropolises in the world, chances are people abroad will never have heard of your particular hometown. (soranews24.com)