A major group of doctors in Tokyo has declared a state of medical emergency, citing a possible collapse of the healthcare system.

Tokyo Medical Association President Ozaki Haruo told reporters on Monday that a steady rise in the number of coronavirus patients will not only result in a shortage of hospital beds but trigger in-house infections in hospitals.

The Tokyo government will use a hotel for patients with relatively mild or no symptoms of the new coronavirus in preparation for a spike of infection cases.

Tokyo officials announced on Monday that the metropolitan government had requisitioned a business hotel in the capital's Chuo Ward.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to request the closure of entertainment facilities if the prime minister declares a state of emergency based on a coronavirus-related law.

The declaration would allow governors of designated prefectures to take various measures to fight the virus.

Many Fukushima residents have expressed concern over a possible scheme to release diluted radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the sea or air in the prefecture.

The government on Monday held the first meeting to hear local opinions on ways to handle the wastewater accumulating at the plant.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says he will declare a state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak for Tokyo and six other prefectures as early as Tuesday.

The declaration will cover Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka. It is expected to be in place for about a month.

Health officials confirmed 143 new coronavirus cases in Tokyo and 16 prefectures on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 4,000.

The number includes people found to have the virus in airport quarantine checks, those who returned to Japan on chartered planes from China, and health ministry officials involved in the quarantine of the Diamond Princess cruise ship in the port of Yokohama.

Japan's government plans to declare a state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak for Tokyo and six other prefectures as early as Tuesday.

The government will hear opinions from an advisory panel before issuing the declaration that will be based on a recently enacted law.

Japanese Justice Minister Mori Masako says she has given instructions to isolate 40 convicts in western Japan who may have had contact with a prison officer who tested positive for the new coronavirus.

The officer in his 40s, who works at Osaka detention center in Osaka City, was confirmed to be infected on Sunday.

Elementary school students in Tokyo's Suginami Ward have gathered in their schoolyard to mark the start of a new school year amid the coronavirus outbreak.

On Monday morning, Momoi Daini Elementary School held its opening ceremony in its schoolyard instead of its gymnasium to avoid crowding.

The Japanese government plans to declare a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak. The declaration will apply to seven prefectures, including Tokyo, for about a month, and begin as early as Tuesday.

Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is making final arrangements to declare a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak as early as Tuesday.

The issuance of the order has been made possible under a revised law that was enacted last month.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has said the metropolitan government is getting ready for the prime minister's possible declaration of a state of emergency over the coronavirus.

Koike made the comment to reporters on Monday as Prime Minister Abe Shinzo began final arrangements to make a declaration as early as Tuesday.

The Japanese government says it will judge the timing of declaring a state of emergency by considering its impact on society and the economy.

Tokyo said on Sunday that 143 more cases were confirmed, a new daily record for the capital.

The governor of Tokyo has expressed alarm about the spread of the coronavirus as a daily record of 143 new cases was reported in the Japanese capital on Sunday.

Koike Yuriko told reporters that it's an astonishing number and what's more surprising is that nearly two-thirds of the cases had untraceable infection routes.