Sen. Kamala Harris, whose mother emigrated from India and father from Jamaica, accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president on Wednesday. She became the first woman of color to run on a major party ticket. 

Four Japanese cabinet ministers visited the Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of the country’s surrender in World War II. The shrine, which honors Class A war criminals, is seen as a symbol of Tokyo’s past militarism by its neighbors.

Former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai, who was arrested on suspicion of violating the Public Offices Election Law, has admitted to giving out cash to local lawmakers and supporters. However, he said he did not intend to buy votes for his wife’s Upper House election campaign last July.

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.

The government’s abrupt request on Thursday for all schools to close over coronavirus concerns has caught people off-guard, sparking confusion across the country.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday denied allegations that his office covered part of the costs for a dinner party held on the eve of a state-funded cherry blossom-viewing event, a practice that would constitute a breach of the public offices election law.

The government decided on Friday to postpone the introduction of private-sector English tests as part of unified university entrance exams starting in fiscal 2020. The decision came after the education minister made a gaffe over students’ financial standing last month.