Qatar-Japan bilateral relations are poised to become stronger after the two countries issued a joint declaration and signed a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs).

Shinzo Abe toured the city and commercial hub of Sapporo, where Thursday's 6.6-magnitude jolt has left houses tilted and roads cracked.

Shinzo Abe is expected to be re-elected head of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party easily, with the vast majority of lawmakers behind him.

The carefully choreographed annual ceremony is the last Akihito and his wife Empress Michiko will attend before the emperor abdicates in April.

Shigeru Ishiba, 61, announced his candidacy on Friday for a Liberal Democratic Party presidential election expected on September 20.

The toll from the record rainfall has continued to rise, as rescue workers dig through the debris and find the remains of dozens of people reported missing.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met some of the thousands of people still in shelters during a trip to the flood-ravaged Okayama area.

Torrential rains unleashed floods and landslides in western Japan last week, prompting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to cancel an overseas trip.

Japan is working to arrange a meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Kim Jong Un after the North Korean leader said he was open to talks, local media reported Thursday.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday welcomed a document signed by North Korea's leader at an unprecedented summit with US President Donald Trump as a "first step" towards denuclearisation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday spoke to astronauts on board the ISS via a live video link from the Kremlin.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his ratings in a slump amid a suspected cronyism scandal and cover-up, apologised again on Sunday for causing anxiety and loss of confidence in his government.