Theme parks in Japan featuring Hello Kitty and other characters will close temporarily in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (NHK)

Twenty-three providers of cashless payment services have registered to participate in a government-led reward-point program for holders of My Number social security and tax identification cards, the internal affairs ministry said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

With hay fever season ramping up and the flu still thriving, the spread of the novel coronavirus poses a challenge for medical institutions nationwide, which face the prospect of being flooded with patients who believe they have COVID-19. (Japan Times)

Two passengers who were aboard the quarantined cruise ship docked near Tokyo have died. They had been hospitalized after showing symptoms and tested positive for the new coronavirus last week. (NHK)

A wave of influenza has been significantly waning in Japan compared with last year, government data has shown, as many people have become wary of infection with a new pneumonia-causing coronavirus. (Japan Times)

Foreign investors purchasing a 1% or more stake in a Japanese company will be subject to prescreening if the target company is included in 12 specified sectors deemed critical to national security, such as arms, aircraft and space-related industries, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

A Japanese infection control expert removed YouTube videos Thursday in which he criticized the handling of the coronavirus outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama, saying the situation had improved. (Japan Today)

Japanese authorities confirmed 705 cases of the new coronavirus as of 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday. (NHK)

The number of foreign visitors to Japan fell for the fourth straight month in January, down 1.1 percent from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, with sharper declines seemingly inevitable in the months ahead due to the new coronavirus outbreak. (Japan Times)

Multinational companies are avoiding travel to and from Japan over fears the country could be the next hot spot in the coronavirus outbreak. (Nikkei)

The spread of the new coronavirus has prompted some Japanese companies to alter their work schedules, or even tell staff to stay home. (NHK)

With the Japanese government announcing newly discovered cases of coronavirus infection within the country several times this month, the whole country is on edge regarding the disease. (soranews24.com)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, has announced plans to send a probe to one of Mars' moons and bring back samples from its surface. (NHK)

Authorities in some prefectures where people are confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus are providing multilingual information services for foreigners visiting or living in Japan. (NHK)

Nipppombashi Street Festa regularly draws over 200,000 people to city’s Denden Town neighborhood, but not this year. (soranews24.com)

Japanese authorities say nearly 100 people were confirmed on Tuesday to be infected with the new coronavirus, including one person under the age of 20. (NHK)

Japan’s communications ministry on Tuesday gave major electronics maker Fujitsu Ltd. the country’s first preliminary license to build a local fifth-generation, or 5G, communications network. (Japan Times)

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill designed to help companies develop secure 5G mobile networks and drone technologies amid growing alarm among policymakers about the increasing influence of Chinese technology. (Japan Times)

Japan’s best train pass, the Japan Rail Pass, finally being made available for purchase online (soranews24.com)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police believe a high school girl committed suicide by leaping in front of a train on Tuesday morning, an incident that she possbily broadcast on social media, reports NHK (Feb. 18). (tokyoreporter.com)

A total of 6,000 surgical masks have been lost at a hospital in Kobe, it was learned Tuesday. The Hyogo Prefectural Police is investigating the incident as a case of theft. (Japan Times)

Nine people were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of illegally collecting money for a food product sales business run by a Tokyo-based mail-order service company that filed for bankruptcy in 2018, police said. (Japan Times)

Nissan Motor held an extraordinary shareholders meeting on Tuesday, as it struggles to rebuild itself under new leadership. 666 people gathered in Yokohama. They approved a new board of directors led by current President and CEO Makoto Uchida. (NHK)

A man in his 60s confirmed to have been infected with the COVID-19 virus drove a total of 10 Kyodo News staff members in a hired vehicle from late January to early February, the news service said Tuesday, confirming that it had notified member organizations. (Japan Times)

Popular boy band Arashi is calling off a concert scheduled for this spring in Beijing due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus, their agent said. (Japan Times)