Japan's government is considering allowing hotels to refuse entry to guests who do not wear masks and follow other measures to control infection during an outbreak, Fuji News Network said on Wednesday.
The government will submit a bill at an extraordinary session of parliament next month that would revise the law governing hotels and inns, allowing them more power to enforce infection measures, the network said.
The move would come at a time when Japan is expected to further ease its COVID-19 border controls, waiving visa requirements for certain tourists and removing a limit on daily arrivals. read more
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is scheduled to debate border easing measures on Thursday.
Japanese Prime Minister, who departed on Tuesday for the United Nations General Assembly Meeting, may announce the border easing during a speech at the New York Stock Exchange, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.
Currently, the wearing of masks is not compulsory in Japan but is strongly recommended indoors and on public transport.
Prince Harry said on Friday that he wanted reconciliation with the British royal family but his father King Charles will not speak to him over a row over his security and he did not know how long the monarch, who has cancer, would live.
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Drake Passage between Cape Horn and Antarctica at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said.
A ship with humanitarian aid and activists for Gaza was bombed by drones while in international waters off Malta early on Friday, its organisers said, and the Maltese government said after a rescue operation that everyone on board was safe.
A power outage hit several regions of Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Friday and efforts were underway to restore services to those affected, state utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara said.
A Russian drone attack late on Thursday set buildings ablaze in Ukraine's southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, injuring 29 people, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said.