The government is poised to expropriate unreasonably high-priced face masks for domestic distribution to ease shortages amid the coronavirus outbreak, Jiji Press learned Saturday. (Japan Times)

The Bank of Japan has unveiled a package of additional measures to stimulate the economy and help companies hit hard by the coronavirus. (NHK)

A ruling party candidate won a seat in a lower house by-election in central Japan held under a state of emergency over the coronavirus, providing relief to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe whose response to the pandemic has been criticized. (Kyodo)

A 24-year-old unemployed man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and robbery after he stabbed a 23-year-old woman, who works for a real estate agency, while she was showing him an apartment in Yokohama on Saturday. (Japan Today)

One in every 13 university students in Japan is considering leaving school as the coronavirus outbreak has left many of them without a source of income or financial support, a recent survey has found. (Japan Times)

In a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus, authorities around Japan are pleading for residents to refrain from going out ahead of one of the country's biggest holiday periods. In Tokyo, the metropolitan government has dubbed the 12-day period through May 6, "stay-at-home week." (NHK)

About 20 companies in Japan will start accepting "partnership certificates" in July for same-sex couples issued by a nongovernmental organization as a way of providing employees with spousal and familial benefits available to straight married couples, people familiar with the matter said Saturday. (Kyodo)

Coronavirus fears left the nation's normally jam-packed bullet trains and expressways deserted on the first day of Golden Week on Saturday as the pace of infections showed little sign of slowing. (Japan Times)

In an ominous sign of what may lie ahead, the number of bankruptcies has been steadily creeping higher. (Japan Times)

A sumo stablemaster and five wrestlers have contracted the new coronavirus, the Japan Sumo Association said Saturday, casting doubts on whether next month's Summer Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo can go ahead as scheduled. (Japan Today)

Universities are set to subsidize online classes amid the nationwide state of emergency called over the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

A month at home in isolation may seem like an eternity for those unaccustomed to a lack of person-to-person contact, but the experiences of Japan's large numbers of "hikikomori," or social recluses, may offer some hints on how to stay sane during the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

Since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a nationwide state of emergency on April 16 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, people have been looking for ways to keep fresh produce on the table without making extra trips to the supermarket. From individual farmers to cooperatives, here are six ways to bring sustenance to your doorstep. (Japan Times)

An additional 43 crew members on an Italian cruise ship docked for repairs in Nagasaki, southwestern Japan, have tested positive for coronavirus, the Nagasaki prefectural government said Friday, bringing the total number of infections to 91. (Kyodo)

Police in Gifu City have arrested five 19-year-old youths on suspicion of killing an 81-year-old homeless man in March. (Japan Today)

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Japan increased to 12,756 on Friday as 327 new cases were reported nationwide. (NHK)

Japan's health ministry on Friday unveiled a list of more than 10,000 medical clinics accepting new patients for online diagnoses in an effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus among doctors and patients. (Kyodo)

Japan's health ministry stepped up its support measures Friday for prefectures to secure accommodations for patients with asymptomatic or mild cases of the novel coronavirus amid a growing number of infections nationwide. (Kyodo)

Japan is working on a subsidy to ensure that temporarily idled small-business employees receive 100% of their wages during the current state of emergency, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

As the spread of COVID-19 infections hits the nation’s economy hard, foreign workers at manufacturers are being severely affected, with some losing their jobs and homes. (Japan Times)

Osaka has become the first Japanese prefecture to announce the names of businesses that refuse to shut down during the coronavirus outbreak. (NHK)

The coronavirus outbreak has forced the halt of thousands of construction projects in Japan, putting jobs of subcontractors and other workers at risk. (NHK)

Japan’s core consumer inflation eased in March for the second straight month, underscoring fears that slumping oil costs and soft consumption because of the COVID-19 pandemic might push the country back into deflation. (Japan Times)

Thanks to the coronavirus outbreak, the simple act of going stepping out your front door has become something to stop and ask yourself “Do I really need to?” about. And If leaving your house or apartment has become a questionable decision, that goes double for leaving the country. (Japan Today)

Another Japanese celebrity fell victim to the coronavirus on Thursday. Actress Okae Kumiko died of pneumonia caused by COVID-19 at a hospital in Tokyo. She was 63. (NHK)