All broadcasters gave top play to reports that Japanese action movie star Chiba Shinichi died at the age of 82 yesterday after contracting COVID-19 earlier this month. 

Top stories in national dailies included Toyota Motor’s plan to cut 40% of its output in September due to the spread of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia (Yomiuri, Nikkei), a GOJ plan to review the criteria for invoking a COVID-19 state of emergency (Asahi), the GOJ’s payment of COVID-related workers’ compensation insurance in 12,000 cases (Mainichi), and the prospects for Afghanistan under Taliban rule (Sankei).