A crowdfunding project to rebuild the fire-destroyed Shuri Castle in Okinawa is to end on Tuesday, having raised funds far exceeding the initial target.

The castle in the city of Naha was mostly destroyed in a massive fire last October.

Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has worn a face mask at a meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy as a precaution against coronavirus infection.

Other members including Cabinet ministers and private-sector representatives also wore masks at the meeting on Tuesday. Their seats were separated more than usual.

The governor of Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, is calling on people to avoid nightclubs and other spots that operate during nighttime hours as a precaution amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Yoshimura Hirofumi made the remarks to reporters on Tuesday saying that the virus could spread in entertainment establishments that operate from night until early morning.

International sports bodies have begun rescheduling next year's competitions to make way for the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed for one year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It was decided on Monday that the Tokyo 2020 Games will open on July 23, 2021 and last 17 days.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has urged Japan's prime minister to decide whether to declare a state of emergency to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Koike met Abe Shinzo on Tuesday at the prime minister's office.

Japan is planning to place an entry ban on foreign nationals from an additional 49 countries and territories as the coronavirus pandemic expands.

Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu revealed the plan on Tuesday. The additional areas will include the United States, Canada, and all of China and South Korea as well as Britain and Greece, covering most of Europe.

Japan's local governments and health ministry have reported 19 more cases of coronavirus infections as of 11 a.m. on Tuesday, bringing the total to 2,007.

The number includes 14 confirmed cases among people who returned from China's Hubei Province on chartered flights and 61 cases among health ministry officials, quarantine officers and those who were found to have the virus during arrival checks at airports.

The Japanese government will avoid calling all Cabinet ministers to attend every anti-coronavirus task force meeting, in an effort to reduce the risk of possible infections among them.

So far in principle, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and all Cabinet ministers, as well as senior government officials, have attended the task force meetings.

Japan's Foreign Minister says that foreign nationals from the United States, China and South Korea, as well as most of Europe, will be banned from entering the country.

Japan will carefully explore the possibility of declaring a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak, with the growth in new cases and the economic implications in mind.

On Monday, a member of a government advisory panel revealed that a majority of the members are in favor of making a declaration. He said many believe that it will be too late for the country to do so after seeing an explosive increase in cases.

It has been disclosed that 38 people in Tokyo confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus whose infection routes remain unclear may have contracted the virus at night spots.

At a news conference on Monday, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko urged people not to spend time in bars and other spots operating during the nighttime hours. Koike said that such entertainment establishments are high risk, because they are closed spaces with poor ventilation.

The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee has announced the new dates for the Tokyo Olympic Games. The Games were postponed until next year due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

At a news conference on Monday, the committee said the Tokyo Olympics will run for 17 days, from July 23, 2021. It said the Paralympics will run for 13 days, from August 24 of the same year.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko is urging people not to spend time in bars and other spots operating during the nighttime hours, in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

She was speaking at a news conference on Monday evening, following a recent spike in the number of the coronavirus infections in the capital.

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Japan had reached 1,896 as of Monday noon. The figure includes 14 people who returned from China's Hubei Province on chartered flights.

The data was compiled by local governments and the health ministry. It includes 41 cases among health ministry officials, quarantine officers and those who were found to have the virus during arrival checks at airports.