Health authorities across Japan confirmed 110,675 cases of the coronavirus as of 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, marking a new record.

The previous record was marked on February 5 with 104,169 cases.

Investigators in Japan have found what appear to be six bullet holes at a location where the man suspected of killing former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says he tested a handmade gun.

The handmade firearm Yamagami Tetsuya allegedly used to fatally shoot Abe in Nara city, western Japan, on June 8 is believed to release six bullets at once.

Weather authorities in Japan are urging people across wide areas to take precautions against torrential rain expected through Saturday.

The Meteorological Agency is advising people to check the latest weather information and follow any evacuation advisories issued by local authorities.

Japan's health experts are warning of an explosive increase in the number of new coronavirus cases in the country.

The daily tally topped 100,000 on Friday for the first time since early February. That's more than double the number recorded a week ago. About one-fifth of the cases reported on Friday were in Tokyo.

Japan's top government spokesperson has indicated that the government will be fully prepared for the Group of Seven summit meeting scheduled for next year in the city of Hiroshima.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu told reporters on Friday that the government will do its utmost to boost security as the host of the summit meeting.

Japan says it has ended a Self-Defense Forces humanitarian mission to airlift aid supplies to countries accommodating evacuees from Ukraine.

The mission was conducted upon request from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to transport supplies it had stored in the United Arab Emirates.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has made a visit of condolence to the home of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, who was shot dead last Friday.

Mahathir visited Abe's residence in central Tokyo on Friday afternoon. He met with Abe's widow, Akie, and expressed his condolences on Abe's death.

Atmospheric conditions have become unstable from western to northern Japan, and have caused torrential rain to fall in the southwestern prefecture of Miyazaki and elsewhere.

Japan Meteorological Agency says the unstable conditions are being caused by warm and moist air flowing into a front.

Japan's daily cases of coronavirus infections topped 100,000 on Friday, exceeding the threshold for the first time since February.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 19,059 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Friday.

The daily tally is up more than 10,200 from a week ago.

Police in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, say they have found what appear to be parts of bullet that were fired by the suspect of last week's fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo while he was testing his handmade gun.

Abe was shot last Friday while making a campaign speech in Nara City. The suspect, 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, was arrested on the spot and is now under investigation.

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says he aims for a recovery of economic and social activities without restricting peoples' movements, while tackling the resurgence of coronavirus infections.

Kishida met with the coronavirus task force at the prime minister's office on Friday.

Police say one of the officers guarding former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo was distracted by a passerby so he failed to notice the man suspected of killing Abe approaching him from behind.

One week has passed since Abe was shot dead. The shooting happened while he was making a stump speech in the western Japanese city of Nara on Friday.

An evacuation order will be lifted next month for a part of a town hosting the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, more than 11 years after the March 2011 disaster.

All residents in Futaba Town have been evacuated following the nuclear accident at the plant. They are not allowed to return to their homes except for short stays.