The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says 331 new cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed as of 3 p.m. on Sunday. (NHK)

Despite uncertainties from COVID-19, top Japanese corporations plan to invest 15.8% more in information technology in fiscal 2020 to keep up the wave of digitization across industries. (Nikkei)

Unreported World is in Japan to meet some of the country’s ‘Junior Idols’. (Unreported World)

Japan was blanketed by sweltering heat on Sunday. Temperatures in many areas rose above 35 degrees Celsius, putting people's health at risk. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says he will work to prevent the elderly and other vulnerable people from contracting the coronavirus to avoid declaring another state of emergency. (NHK)

A search for a misplaced bag by a 37-year-old male teacher led to his arrest over the alleged rape of an intoxicated college student at a karaoke parlor in Sagamihara City, police said, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Aug. 9). (tokyoreporter.com)

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines says it believes more than 1,000 tons of oil have leaked from a bulk carrier that ran aground off Mauritius in the Indian Ocean on July 25. (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)

In a town with a dying population, we find hundreds of scarecrows, zero children, and a voice that I hope I never forget. (Tokyo Lens)

People in the US will be able to watch Japanese pro baseball games live on cable TV and the internet soon. (NHK)