The Japanese government has launched a new task force to fight a growing coronavirus outbreak.

The move paves the way for the Prime Minister to declare a state of emergency based on a newly enacted law.

Students at public high schools in Tokyo will start a new school year next month. The metropolitan board of education says students in each grade will be allowed to attend school on alternate days as a preventive measure against the coronavirus.

The board released guidelines for preventing infections on Thursday. The officials also say schools should start classes later so that students can avoid commuting during the rush hour.

The Japanese government will set up a coronavirus task force based on new legislation to deal with the outbreak.

Health Minister Katsunobu Kato met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday. The Japanese Cabinet has decided to set up the task force later in the day.

NHK has learned that a government expert panel has approved a report that says sustained transmission of the coronavirus is likely to occur in Japan.

Tokyo confirmed 41 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the nationwide total to over 1,300.

Tokyo's governor is urging residents to stay home this weekend unless they absolutely must go out. The call comes after officials confirmed more than 40 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday ... the largest one-day spike the city has seen so far.

Yuriko Koike told reporters on Wednesday, "We are now at a critical juncture. We want Tokyo residents to realize this and do their work at home as much as possible on weekdays ... though we understand that may not be possible depending on your line of work. We want people to refrain from going out at night. We also want residents to refrain from going out this weekend, unless it is urgent."

Six more infections of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Japan as of Thursday morning, bringing the total number to 1,313.

The figure was provided by the health ministry and local governments. It includes 14 cases confirmed among people who returned from China's Hubei Province on chartered flights.

Major airlines in Japan say they will consider suspending or cutting more international flights as the foreign ministry raised its travel alert for the entire world on Wednesday, urging Japanese people to refrain from non-essential overseas trips.

Japanese airlines have already suspended or reduced flights on a wide range of international routes, including China, South Korea, Europe and the United States, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Japan's foreign ministry has raised its travel alert for the entire world to level 2 on a four-level scale due to the global spread of the new coronavirus, urging Japanese people to refrain from non-essential overseas trips.

This level of alert for the entire world was issued for the first time.

Tokyo governor is calling on residents in the city to stay home this coming weekend unless they absolutely need to go out.

It comes after officials confirmed more than 40 more cases of infection with the new coronavirus on Wednesday, the largest one-day spike the city has seen so far.

Japan's foreign ministry is to raise its travel alert for the entire world to level 2 on a four-level scale due to the global spread of the new coronavirus, urging Japanese people to refrain from non-essential overseas trips.

This level of alert for the entire world would be issued for the first time.

Japan plans to ask all people arriving in the country from the United States to self-quarantine for two weeks, starting on Thursday.

People with fevers or other symptoms arriving by sea and air are to be tested for the new coronavirus at quarantine stations.

Tokyo's benchmark stock index surged on Wednesday as investors welcomed progress by the US Congress toward passing a 2 trillion dollar stimulus package.

The gains also followed the biggest-ever one-day point rise in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike says that 41 people were confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus in Japan's capital on Wednesday.

The daily count has more than doubled from 17 for the previous day.

An infectious disease expert is calling for stepping up measures against the new coronavirus in Tokyo.

Professor Atsuo Hamada at Tokyo Medical University spoke to NHK after at least 40 new people were confirmed to be infected with the virus in Japan's capital on Wednesday.