Yuriko Koike

Japan will consider issuing a new emergency declaration after governors in the capital region urged action to tackle a record surge in COVID-19 cases, the head of the nation's pandemic response said on Saturday.

4,518 new coronavirus infections in Japan on Thursday, means the highest daily count ever, as the country struggles to contain a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thus was exceeded Saturday's previous single-day record of 3,851 new cases, according to a Kyodo News tally.

The likelihood of the Japanese government lifting a state of emergency in Tokyo and nearby prefectures, as well as Hokkaido, altogether next Monday is growing, as the number of new coronavirus cases continues to decline, officials have said.

Greek gymnast Lefteris Petrounias, Olympic gold medalist and world champion, carries the Olympic torch during the flame handover ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on Thursday. The ceremony took place without spectators as a precaution amid the continuing spread of the coronavirus.

Tokyo's working visit of the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva began at the invitation of the Japanese Foreign Minister.

The operator of the devastated Fukushima nuclear power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) cleared the regulatory obstacles ahead of getting permission to launch two reactors in Japan, reports actualno. 

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved parliament on Sept. 28, effectively kicking off a national election campaign where he faces an unexpected and formidable challenge from the popular governor of Tokyo.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday called a snap election, as fresh opinion polls showed a fledgling conservative party led by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike was gaining momentum ahead of the expected Oct. 22 vote, Reuters reported.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Set. 25 called a snap election, seeking a fresh term at the helm of the world's third-largest economy as tensions with nearby North Korea reach fever-pitch.

Abe hopes to capitalize on a weak and fractured opposition to sweep back into power, as polls show him regaining ground after a series of scandals.

Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, a protégé of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was once seen as having a chance to become the nation’s first female prime minister, announced her resignation Friday over a dispute involving peacekeeping operations in South Sudan.