The number of people using public transport in Japan is much lower than normal for the time of year due to a surge in coronavirus infections. The Bon holiday period normally sees many visiting their hometown.

The Japan Road Traffic Information Center reported that vehicles were backed up for more than 10 kilometers on three major expressways in the Tokyo area before noon on Monday.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says 197 people were confirmed to have been infected with the new coronavirus on Monday.

This is the first time in two weeks that the daily tally in the capital has been below 200, but the figure has remained above100 for 33 days.

Monkeys at a zoo in Fukui City, along the Sea of Japan, beat the sweltering heat on Monday with fruits frozen in ice.

The small zoo in Asuwayama Park provides the frozen treats to its monkeys every summer.

Sweltering heat continued in Japan on Monday, with temperatures topping 38 degrees Celsius in some eastern and western parts of the country.

The highest temperature recorded by 02:00 p.m. was 38.6 degrees in Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture.

People in the western Japanese city of Tokushima are decorating shopping streets with lanterns to brighten up the mood as a major summer festival was canceled due to the coronavirus.

The Awa Odori dance festival normally draws more than 1 million tourists to Tokushima in August.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines says it believes more than 1,000 tons of oil have leaked from a bulk carrier that ran aground off Mauritius in the Indian Ocean on July 25.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines chartered the carrier, Wakashio, which is owned by Nagashiki Shipping. The two companies held a news conference in Tokyo on Sunday.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says 331 new cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed as of 3 p.m. on Sunday.

This is the first time in three days that the daily tally for the capital has fallen below 400. It is also the fourth consecutive day with more than 300 infections.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says he will work to prevent the elderly and other vulnerable people from contracting the coronavirus to avoid declaring another state of emergency.

Abe held a news conference in Nagasaki on Sunday after attending the Peace Memorial Ceremony to remember the victims of the atomic bomb.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo pledged to stand by aging atomic bomb survivors in his speech during a ceremony marking 75 years since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

Abe gave the address at the Peace Park in the southwestern Japanese city on Sunday. Japan also marked the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Thursday.

NHK has learned that Japan's national farmers' organization is teaming up with one of the country's largest travel agencies to secure labor for farmers in need of helping hands.

Foreign technical trainees have mitigated labor shortages in Japan's agricultural sector, but there is a shortage this year as they cannot enter Japan due to coronavirus restrictions.

Hopes for peace have been shared in Nagasaki. People are holding various events to remember what happened 75 years ago.

Near the Peace Park, a mass to remember those who perished began at 6 a.m. More than 200 people attended.

Students in Nagasaki have prepared water to be offered to the souls of atomic bomb victims in a service marking the 75th anniversary of the bombing of the city. The memorial ceremony will be held on Sunday.

The water offering will be placed on an altar in the Peace Park to console the souls of people who desperately asked for water after being exposed to heat from the explosion and radiation.

NHK has learned that Japan's first supply of an experimental coronavirus vaccine being developed by British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca may be provided between next January and March.

Japanese health ministry officials reported the development to NHK. This is the first time that a schedule for a domestic coronavirus vaccine supply has emerged.

There are growing concerns about the long-term spread of coronavirus infection in Africa. The number of confirmed cases on the continent has topped 1 million. Japan has been helping Africa deal with the pandemic.

The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research is located in Ghana. The Institute was founded more than four decades ago with Japanese aid.