Japan's ruling parties finalized on Friday a plan to cover part of the monthly rent of small and midsize businesses struggling under the economic impact of the new coronavirus. (Japan Today)

Sixteen of Japan's 47 prefectures will reopen public high schools before the end of May following weeks of shutdowns over the coronavirus outbreak, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

Japan's household spending plunged in March and service-sector activity shrank at a record pace in April, reinforcing expectations that the coronavirus pandemic is tipping the world's third-largest economy into deep recession. (Japan Today)

Some experts in Japan fear that prolonged school closures due to the spread of the coronavirus are turning children stuck at home into internet and video game addicts, with a study showing that many are already spending more time glued to their smartphones and other devices. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 39 coronavirus infections on Friday, stretching the consecutive number of days below 100 to six. (Japan Times)

The number of small and midsize businesses registered for a cashless payment program, introduced by the government to reduce the negative effects of a hike in the consumption tax last October, topped 1 million in mid-February. (Japan Times)

Health authorities in Japan reported 95 more coronavirus infections nationwide, including 23 cases in Tokyo, on Thursday. (NHK)

Japan's government says it may lift the country's state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak in some prefectures around May 14. (NHK)

Japan on Thursday approved the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients, the government said, with an eye to approving another medication Avigan this month. (Japan Today)

Japan's space agency says it has found that the asteroid Ryugu may have orbited between the Sun and Mercury in the distant past. That's different from its current orbit, which passes between Earth and Mars, but not between the Sun and Mercury. (NHK)

A total of nine pachinko parlors in Osaka and Tokyo have reopened despite the ongoing state of emergency in effect due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, reports TBS News (May 7). (tokyoreporter.com)

Public schools in Tottori Prefecture in western Japan were reopened for the first time on Thursday after they were closed on April 27. (NHK)

The number of passengers on shinkansen and limited express trains during this year's Golden Week holidays plunged 95 percent from a year earlier amid the coronavirus outbreak, data from six major railway companies showed Thursday. (Japan Today)

It’s now May 7th, the Japanese Golden Week holiday is over. How is Tokyo and Japan? With improving infection rates, what does that mean for the city? (ONLY in JAPAN * GO)

Japan's health ministry says about 2,000 people who have tested positive for the coronavirus have been isolating at home. (NHK)

As recommendations to stay home and avoid going out continue in order to help stave off the spread of coronavirus, more and more people are eating at home and taking up hobbies like cooking and baking to pass the time. As a result, the demand for basic ingredients like flour has gone up as increasing numbers of home chefs are buying it to cook with, which has caused the stock of flour products in some supermarkets to run dry. (Japan Today)

Japan will find a new location for its new Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense system amid strong local opposition to deployment in the northeastern city of Akita, government sources said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Japan’s health ministry has asked testing facilities for COVID-19 not to rely heavily on chemicals produced by one foreign company, as authorities are concerned that a supply shortage could complicate efforts to increase the country’s capacity to carry out polymerase chain reaction tests, sources said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Japan's agricultural sector could soon be reeling from a glut of eggs and dairy products with the closure of schools and restaurants due to the coronavirus pandemic, while the country's largest food bank is paradoxically facing a shortage as the number of users surges. (Nikkei)

McDonald's Japan is extending its halt on in-store dining until at least May 14 as the country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

Japan's top figure skater, Hanyu Yuzuru, has uploaded video of his performances to encourage people coping with the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

Customers must also undergo four-stage disinfecting process before being seated. (soranews24.com)

Japan is scrambling to house an often overlooked group of homeless people who slept in internet cafes now shut due to coronavirus lockdowns, with a petition to open the Olympic Village in Tokyo to them garnering support. (Japan Today)

The Japanese government is to call on companies in Tokyo and 12 prefectures that are on a special coronavirus alert to reduce by at least 70 percent the number of their employees traveling to work. (NHK)

Police in Tokyo have arrested a 60-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after he attacked a father and son over a noise dispute in their apartment building on Monday night. (Japan Today)