Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:

Deer rest in front of Nara National Museum in the western Japan city on Aug. 12, 2020, amid scorching summer heat. (Kyodo) 

As of 9:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 13 (Japan time)

• The J-League on Thursday postponed Sagan Tosu's next three league matches after 10 individuals with the first-division side, including manager Kim Myung Hwi tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the league said.
  
  
• Fujifilm Holdings Corp. said Thursday it expects to complete clinical tests in Japan of the antiviral drug Avigan, a potential candidate treatment drug for COVID-19, in September, already behind schedule after a delay caused by difficulty in securing enough patient data.
  
  
• Japan and Singapore agreed Thursday to ease travel restrictions implemented in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic from September.
  
  
• The Nikkei stock index ended at a nearly six-month high on Thursday, approaching its pre-pandemic levels amid growing hopes for the development of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus.
  
  
• Calls for the government to shift parliamentary sessions online and allow for remote attendance have increased as Japan endures a protracted battle against the coronavirus, but implicit restraints within the Constitution have hindered progress so far.
  
  
• About 77 percent of mothers with small children in Japan said they will have fewer plans than last year to go out together during summer break, as the coronavirus pandemic shows no signs of slowing down, according to a recent survey by a toy company.

As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 12 (Japan time)

• The Asian Football Confederation on Wednesday postponed World Cup qualifying matches scheduled for October and November until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic
  
  
• Japan reported over 970 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, as urban centers including Tokyo and Osaka continued to see high levels of infection.
  
  
• The J-League has postponed Wednesday's Levain Cup match between Sagan Tosu and Sanfrecce Hiroshima after two members of the Sagan organization, including one player, tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
  
  
• Tokyo's population has swollen over the years as young people from the regions have been drawn to the big city, but the tide may be turning as perceptions of work and urban life change in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - August 1-7

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Children swim in a pool at Toshimaen amusement park in Tokyo on Aug. 12, 2020. The park will end its operation at the end of August. (Kyodo)

 

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