Japan's Prime Minister, Abe Shinzo, says he will extend the declaration of a state of emergency that is due to end on May 6.

He made the announcement on Thursday after the Diet approved a supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 to fund an emergency economic package to deal with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Japan Tourism Agency says the number of foreign visitors who stayed at hotels and inns in Japan in March plunged 85.9 percent from a year earlier to 1.18 million.

Agency officials say it was the sharpest fall ever, topping an 81.3-percent fall in April 2011, just after a massive earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan.

Japan's Diet has approved a supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 to fund an emergency economic package to deal with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. It includes a cash handout of 100,000 yen, or 940 dollars, for all residents.

The Upper House passed the budget bill at its plenary session on Thursday following unanimous approval by the chamber's Budget Committee earlier in the day. The bill cleared the Lower House on Wednesday.

Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has told ruling Liberal Democratic Party officials that he plans to extend the declaration of a state of emergency that is due to end on May 6.

He met the party's Secretary General, Nikai Toshihiro, and Deputy Secretary General, Hayashi Motoo, on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump has indicated that federal guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus will not be extended beyond April.

Trump spoke to reporters on Wednesday, one day before the expiration of the guidelines, which recommend people avoid nonessential outings. He said that the guidelines will be "fading out because now the governors are doing it."

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says the government will weigh various options when considering whether to change the start of the school year from April to September.

Abe commented on calls for the change at a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on Wednesday. Some governors and opposition parties want the start of the academic year to be pushed back to September as school closures have been prolonged amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Japanese government is considering extending a nationwide state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic by about a month. The declaration is currently scheduled to be in place until next Wednesday.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said at an Upper House Budget Committee meeting on Wednesday that the question remains whether it will be possible to say on May 6 that the state of emergency is over. He said that prospect still appears unlikely, noting that cases of infection continue to rise.

Japan's health ministry has issued a checklist of 13 coronavirus symptoms which indicate that a person should consult a medical expert immediately.

The list is designed for patients with mild symptoms who are recuperating at designated accommodation facilities or at home.

Traffic was thin at major transportation hubs and highways throughout Japan at the start of the country's week-long spring holiday on Wednesday. This comes amid a government request for people to refrain from traveling due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Japan Railway group companies say less than 10 percent of non-reserved seats on Shinkansen bullet trains were occupied.

Few people were seen at major transportation hubs in Tokyo and highways were quiet throughout Japan at the start of the country's week-long spring holiday on Wednesday.

Japan Railway group companies say less than 10 percent of non-reserved seats on all Shinkansen bullet train lines were occupied on Wednesday morning.

A Japanese venture company has developed a smartphone app that can identify risks of exposure to the coronavirus inside medical institutions.

The app was created by an IT firm based in Tokyo that works with the medical industry.

Global output by eight Japanese auto makers was down more than 20 percent in March as they shut down plants amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Japanese manufacturers produced more than 1,863,000 vehicles last month, down 26 percent from a year earlier.

The Japanese government has announced a list of 4,181 people to be awarded honors this spring for their services to the nation or public.

They include former justices of the Supreme Court, a former head of Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, as well as people who led major businesses.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Japan increased to 13,895 on Tuesday as 282 new cases were announced nationwide.

The tally includes people tested at airport quarantine stations, health ministry officials, quarantine officers and individuals who returned to Japan from China on government-chartered planes. It also includes infections among the crew of the Costa Atlantica cruise ship docked in Nagasaki, western Japan.