A member of the House of Representatives has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was admitted to a hospital, the Lower House’s secretariat said Friday, the first confirmed infection of a Japanese lawmaker. (Japan Times)

Japan's new prime minister will pursue economic structural reforms through a mixed bag of policies that target specific industries, rather than a grand strategy to reshape society and boost long-term growth. (Japan Today)

Shinzo Abe, Japan's outgoing and longest-serving prime minister, left his office in Tokyo for the last time on September 16, 2020. Abe had announced his plans to resign in August, citing health problems related to ulcerative colitis. (SCMP Clips)

Japan's new prime minister says he will prioritize measures against the coronavirus and its economic fallout. Suga Yoshihide is taking over from Abe Shinzo, a close ally who was Japan's longest-serving prime minister. (NHK)

More than half of Suga Yoshihide's cabinet ministers were part of an Abe government -- a reflection of the new leader's intentions to continue his predecessor's policies. (NHK)

Japan's newly expanded opposition Constitutional Democratic Party has been launched, with its leader vowing to challenge the new government set to start on Wednesday. (NHK)

Japan is on the cusp of getting a new Cabinet---and NHK is learning details about who will serve in key posts. (NHK)

Yoshihide Suga, the newly chosen leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will retain Taro Aso as finance minister and deputy prime minister after Suga's expected election as prime minister later this week, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

The new leader of Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party appears to have decided on the lineup of the party's executive posts. (NHK)

Newly elected Liberal Democratic Party President Yoshihide Suga, who is set to become Japan's next leader later this week, has vowed to 'create a Cabinet that works for people.' (Japan Times)

Cell phone charges in Japan should be cut by around 40 percent from current levels, Yoshihide Suga, the frontrunner to become the next prime minister, said on Friday. (Japan Today)

Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is choosing its new leader on Monday. The vote also effectively decides who will be the country's prime minister after Abe Shinzo, who is stepping down because of health issues. (NHK)

He has been dubbed the kingmaker and the shadow shogun, the man who used his tremendous influence within the Liberal Democratic Party to quickly convince its biggest factions to back Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga as party president and, accordingly, prime minister. Though an octogenarian, he is also expected to play a key role in a new administration most likely to be headed by Suga. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government plans to draw up a new policy on missile defense by the end of the year. (NHK)

Japan and Britain have reached a broad agreement on a new economic partnership. (NHK)

Tokyo has lowered its coronavirus alert level by one notch in response to a weekly fall in new cases, after keeping the alert at its highest level on a four-point scale for nearly two months. (NHK)

The Tokyo metropolitan government plans to end next week its policy of asking establishments serving alcohol in the capital's central 23 wards to close by 10 p.m., as the number of coronavirus cases has been trending downward in recent days, a source familiar with the situation said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Three candidates running to replace Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as head of the Liberal Democratic Party appeared in their first public faceoff Tuesday, each casting themselves as best qualified to guide the country through the rest of the novel coronavirus pandemic and to address its sluggish economy. (Japan Times)

A Japanese government panel has discussed measures to prevent coronavirus infections for the "Go To Eat" campaign, designed to help the restaurant industry hit hard by the outbreak. (NHK)

The realization haunted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. His protege, Fumio Kishida, an earnest but uninspiring party policy chief, would likely lose against popular former defense chief Shigeru Ishiba in a race to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Ishiba, Abe's archrival, would then become Japan's next leader. (Nikkei)