The Japanese government plans to offer subsidies to universities and research institutes that allow their equipment to be used for PCR tests. (NHK)

A Japanese company that operates a cargo ship that ran aground off Mauritius says nearly half of the oil the vessel is believed to have leaked in the Indian Ocean has been collected. (NHK)

Researchers at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan say a large number of meteors will be visible on Wednesday night if the conditions are right. (NHK)

Japan's male smoking rate fell below 30 percent for the first time in 2019, slipping to 28.8 percent, down 2.3 percentage points from the previous study in 2016, according to a health ministry survey. (Japan Today)

The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius has declared a "state of environmental emergency" after a Japanese-owned ship that ran aground offshore days ago began spilling tons of fuel. (Japan Times)

In recent years, coral in the seas around Okinawa Prefecture has been turning black and dying off due to a particular variety of coral-killing sponge called Terpios hoshinota. (Japan Times)

NHK has learned that Japan's first supply of an experimental coronavirus vaccine being developed by British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca may be provided between next January and March. (NHK)

Researchers in Japan say the death rate of hospitalized coronavirus patients was 7.5 percent in the country. This is about one third of the COVID-19 death rates reported in Britain. (NHK)

A zoo in the Austrian capital of Vienna has bred a great purple emperor butterfly, Omurasaki in Japanese, from an egg after receiving caterpillars from a conservation group in Japan. (NHK)

Less than 8 percent of people hospitalized in Japan due to the novel coronavirus have died, a rate much lower than in other countries, a study showed Thursday. (Kyodo)

The percentage of occupied hospital beds reserved for coronavirus patients rose in 39 of Japan’s 47 prefectures in the week that ended July 29, with occupancy rates over 30 percent in eight prefectures, government data showed Monday, raising fears that the medical system may soon become overwhelmed amid a resurgence of infections. (Japan Times)

A Japanese insurer offering to temporarily take in pets from people infected by the coronavirus says two dogs in its custody tested positive for the virus. (NHK)

An NHK survey shows the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa has the nation's highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the preceding seven days. (NHK)

Japanese company ispace has updated the design of its commercial lunar lander while delaying its first flight by a year. (spacenews.com)

Companies racing to introduce the successor to the batteries that power everything from our smartphones to drones to electric cars are closing in on their goal. But they are not alone. Startups have joined the fray to develop technologies for higher-performance power packs that can relegate today's lithium-ion batteries to an earlier stage along the march of progress. (Nikkei)

After initial success, Japan is facing a reality check on the coronavirus. (Bloomberg)

Leading Japanese universities and corporations have joined hands with IBM to develop practical quantum computing applications in finance, materials development and the broader business scene. (Nikkei)

Single bananas. Hard boiled eggs. Chocolate chip cookies. In convenience stores across Japan these items all have something in common: they are routinely sold tightly swaddled in plastic wrapping. (CNN)

The Japan Meteorological Agency early Thursday morning issued an early warning for an earthquake that was expected to hit Tokyo and other neighboring areas. (Japan Times)

Experts say the situation of coronavirus infections in Tokyo is serious as the virus has spread to all generations and through diverse routes. (NHK)