Japan has reported 200 coronavirus infection cases in a day for the first time.
Tokyo confirmed a record 63 cases on Saturday. Neighboring Chiba Prefecture also reported more than 60 cases. That figure includes 57 cases connected to a facility for people with disabilities.
Japan's prime minister has warned people in the country to brace for a prolonged battle against the coronavirus.
Shinzo Abe said that outbreaks in the United States and Europe suggest the number of cases in Japan could jump by more than 30 times in just two weeks.
The Japanese government is expected to decide on a set of basic guidelines to fight the coronavirus as early as Saturday.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed a new government task force on Thursday to create such guidelines. The task force was established based on a new law that allows the prime minister to declare a state of emergency.
Some of the major theme parks in Japan that have closed due to the coronavirus outbreak are planning to extend the shutdowns for even longer.
Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will keep their doors closed beyond a planned reopening in early April. The operator Oriental Land says visitors won't be able to enjoy the parks again until April 20th at the earliest.
Four more coronavirus infections have been reported in Japan as of Friday afternoon, bringing the total number to 1,405. This includes 14 confirmed cases among people who returned from China's Hubei Province on chartered flights.
The figure was provided by the health ministry and local governments. It includes 33 cases among health ministry staff, quarantine officers and those who were found to have the virus during arrival checks at airports.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has warned that Japan's economy would be hard hit if Tokyo is locked down due to the coronavirus.
Abe made the comment in response to an opposition lawmaker's question about a recent spike in infections in the Japanese capital.
The Japanese government decided on Friday to invalidate visas issued in 11 countries in Southeast Asia, Middle East and Africa due to the coronavirus pandemic.
About 750,000 visas issued by Japanese embassies in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will no longer be valid from Saturday.
A source familiar with Japanese professional baseball says a pitcher has become the country's first player of the sport to test positive for the new coronavirus.
Shintaro Fujinami of the Hanshin Tigers underwent the test at the advice of a doctor on Thursday.
NHK has learned that the Japanese government's task force drew up a draft policy to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.
The policy says prefectural governors could ask residents to refrain from going out for about 3 weeks, if the prime minister declares a state of emergency to deal with the outbreak.
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.
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.
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.
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.