The head of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutor’s Office, who was seen as close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, submitted his resignation on Thursday following a report that he played mahjong for money with two journalists during the nationwide state of emergency.

The Osaka prefectural government on Friday disclosed the names of six pachinko pinball parlors that have defied its request to close in the fight against the coronavirus. Customers were seen forming a line at a store before it opened.

The handouts of cloth masks across Japan as part of the government’s efforts to counter the virus pandemic started in Tokyo on Friday. However, the plan has been derided on social media as ineffective and insufficient.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in seven prefectures over a surge in coronavirus infections. But this is different from a stringent lockdown with fines and other penalties for non-compliance.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday that the government will provide 300,000 yen in cash to virus-hit households facing income drops as part of its emergency economic package.

Joe Biden became the overnight front-runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination by scoring sweeping victories on Super Tuesday. The contest is now a two-man race between the former vice president and Sen. Bernie Sanders.