As of 11 p.m., Friday, April 16
- The Philippines will extend its travel ban on new entries for foreigners until April 30, as the number of reported coronavirus cases remains high, the government said Friday.
- China's economy recorded its sharpest quarterly growth on record in the first three months of 2021, expanding 18.3 percent from a year earlier, official data showed Friday, as both domestic and external demand steadily recuperated from the coronavirus crisis.
- The Japanese government decided Friday to expand tougher COVID-19 restrictions to all three of the country's major metropolitan areas centering on Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya as infections surge less than a month after a state of emergency was lifted.
- Japan will co-host a leaders' meeting in June to promote global efforts to ensure fair access to coronavirus vaccines for developing countries, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Thursday.
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, April 15
- India on Thursday reported over 200,000 fresh coronavirus cases for the first time, with the total so far now exceeding 14 million.
- Osaka Prefecture reported a daily record of 1,208 coronavirus cases on Thursday and Tokyo marked 729, the highest in more than two months, amid deepening concerns about what medical experts call a "fourth wave" of infections in Japan.
- The Tokyo Olympic torch relay is set to be taken off public roads in the main island of Okinawa Prefecture in southern Japan next month due to concerns over a recent surge in coronavirus infections, officials familiar with the planning said Thursday.
- The governments of Hokkaido and its capital Sapporo have decided to cancel a 10-kilometer foot race scheduled for next month on the Olympic marathon course, a source with knowledge of the matter said Thursday.
- Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai said Thursday that canceling this summer's Tokyo Olympics may be an option if the spread of coronavirus infections forces organizers to think it would be difficult to hold the event.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - April 3~9