People in Fukuoka, western Japan, have expressed concerns about a possible surge of coronavirus infections in the prefecture after the state of emergency was lifted a week ago.

In Osaka Prefecture, where the state of emergency has been lifted, the government has begun to distribute PCR test kits to people without symptoms in an effort to quickly detect signs of the spread of the new coronavirus.

An advisory panel to the Japanese government has approved a two-week extension of the coronavirus state of emergency for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures.

A father accused of causing the death of his fourth-grade daughter by giving her a cold shower in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture, was sentenced to 16 years in prison by the Tokyo High Court in the second trial, an unusually heavy sentence following the first trial, on the grounds that "the maliciousness of the case is exceptional among abuse cases.

The Prime Minister will consult the panel of experts and other prefectural heads before making his decision tomorrow.

In the Tokyo foreign exchange market on Sunday, the yen temporarily weakened to the upper 107 yen per dollar, a level not seen since July last year, as the dollar was bid up by rising long-term interest rates in the US.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide says he may extend the coronavirus state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo Area by about two weeks.

Swedish automaker Volvo Car has announced a plan to convert all of its cars to electric vehicles by 2030.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 329 infections on Sunday. Although the daily tally has been below 500 for 22 straight days, it still marked an increase of more than 50 compared to one week ago.

New data shows that Japan's state of emergency to curb the coronavirus continues to weigh on consumption. Travel and dining out have been hit especially hard.

The condition in the Senkaku-Diaoyu Islands is getting even worse.

But, the government has no plan to restart it immediately.