The Osaka Evessa announced Tuesday that three more of their players have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of infected players and team officials to eight. (Japan Times)

Osaka Prefecture will launch an initiative aimed at promoting food delivery services as residents are urged to stay at home amid the coronavirus epidemic, Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said Thursday. (Japan Times)

E-commerce giant Rakuten has become the 4th mobile phone carrier in Japan to offer nationwide service. (NHK)

The government has decided to allow school playgrounds to be open during the emergency school shutdown amid the coronavirus epidemic, so children can ease stress built up from having to stay at home, it was learned Tuesday. (Japan Times)

The operators of some major theme parks in Japan say their gates will be shut for at least another month amid the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to keep restaurants and pubs open with limited hours during Japan's monthlong state of emergency, in an about-face prompted by pressure from the central government. (Nikkei)

As the Cabinet approved on Tuesday a record-breaking ¥108 trillion emergency stimulus package in response to COVID-19 ravaging the nation’s economy, the deep-seated rivalries it has amplified within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party were hidden from view. (Japan Times)

Japanese governors urged the state on Wednesday to compensate businesses so they can comply with requests to halt operations and cancel events in order to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, but the central government rejected the call. (Japan Today)

Japan recorded 503 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, its biggest daily increase since the start of the pandemic, as a state of emergency took effect but commuters still crowded some trains into Tokyo despite government calls to stay at home. (Japan Today)

The declaration of a state of emergency in Japan has prompted economists to slash forecasts for three months from April to June. (Nikkei)

Kyoto University Hospital in western Japan says it ordered 116 staff members to isolate themselves at home because they dined out or traveled, despite instructions not to do so. (NHK)

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Wednesday it will lay off around 6,500 workers at three domestic factories that have been or will be temporarily suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Japan Times)

Japan's Nintendo Co. has suspended domestic shipments of its popular Nintendo Switch video game console due to a production delay caused by the coronavirus outbreak, company officials said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Municipalities in Tokyo are divided over whether to close the nurseries they operate after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency Tuesday over the virus crisis. (Japan Times)

US media are skeptical about the effectiveness of the state of emergency that Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo declared on Tuesday. They questioned whether the timing was right and pointed out that there are no penalties for noncompliance. (NHK)

Japan's Cabinet has approved emergency economic measures of record proportions to deal with the impact of the coronavirus. The package is worth about 108 trillion yen, or one trillion dollars. The government plans to issue additional bonds to help fund the spending. (NHK)

Japan's prime minister has officially declared a month-long state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures to curb the spread of infections. (NHK)

A Japanese court sentenced an 83-year-old man to five years in prison on Tuesday for shooting a former agriculture minister and high school classmate with a gun and injuring him in the northeastern prefecture of Iwate last December while disputing over decades-old money trouble. (Japan Today)

Support groups and individuals in Japan have raised the alarm that measures to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus in Japan may fuel domestic violence, as victims remain stuck at home with no avenues of escape. (Japan Today)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared on Tuesday night a state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus after an alarming growth in cases in urban areas. (Japan Today)

A 36-year-old political newcomer has become Japan's youngest-ever female mayor after winning the Tokushima mayoral election on Sunday, according to Japan's city mayors' association. (Japan Today)

Japan's government is set to compile an emergency economic package of 108 trillion yen, or about one trillion dollars, to fight the impact of the coronavirus epidemic in the country. (NHK)

Health officials confirmed 143 new coronavirus cases in Tokyo and 16 prefectures on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 4,000. (NHK)

Japanese language schools in the country are unable to welcome new overseas students as the government has invalidated visas issued in more than 170 nations due to the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

Japanese pop group Arashi has released a video encouraging people to wash their hands amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Today)