The Tokyo metropolitan government says next week's memorial ceremony for the victims of US air raids in World War Two has been canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

This is the first time the annual ceremony has been canceled since it started in 1991. About 100,000 people were killed in the predawn attack by US B-29 bombers on March 10, 1945.

Japan's transport minister says about half of the flights from China and South Korea will be affected by the government's request to be diverted to Narita or Kansai airports.

All passenger planes from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and South Korea will only be allowed to land at Narita near Tokyo and Kansai near Osaka. The Japanese government is tightening controls on inbound travelers to curb the number of coronavirus infections.

Japan's Cabinet approved a policy on Friday that enables the government to invalidate the visas of people coming from China and South Korea. The measure is among those aimed at preventing the spread of the new coronavirus.

The Japanese government will cancel the visas next Monday. All foreign nationals coming from the two countries will be denied entry into Japan, if they do not have new visas.

The Japanese government has decided to cancel the national memorial ceremony for the victims of the March 11, 2011, disaster because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The decision was made at a cabinet meeting on Friday. The government believes that this is a crucial time for containing the outbreak.

Japanese government officials say a growing number of face masks are showing up on online auction and shopping sites. The surge comes ahead of a legal amendment that will ban reselling the items.

The officials at the industry ministry say hoarders are fetching high prices for the masks, amid a serious shortage.

The Japanese government is stepping up measures to curb the new coronavirus spread. As of next Monday, the country will begin quarantining visitors from China and South Korea.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "We will ask people entering Japan from the two countries to stay at places designated by the quarantine chief for two weeks and not to use public transportation systems in the country."

Japan and China have agreed to postpone Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Japan due to the coronavirus outbreak. Xi had been scheduled to arrive in Japan in early April.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in Tokyo on Thursday that Japan and Beijing will reschedule the visit.

Yahoo Japan plans to ban sales of face masks on its auction site starting on March 14, as a severe shortage of masks due to the coronavirus outbreak drives up prices.

Yahoo Japan said on Thursday that the ban will be in place until further notice. The firm is to delete listings of face masks as soon as it finds them, at the request of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry.

Japan and China have agreed to postpone Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Japan due to the coronavirus outbreak. Xi's visit had been scheduled for early April.

The live music scene in Osaka seems to be spreading the new coronavirus.

Osaka Prefectural officials suspect a mass infection with the virus may have occurred at a second live music venue in the region.

Japanese meteorologists are calling on people in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido to be vigilant as a severe winter storm hits the region.

They are warning of heavy snow, possible white-outs, travel disruptions and high waves, as a rapidly developing low-pressure system is approaching.

Japan's National Police Agency says it detected a record number of suspected cyberattacks in the country last year.

The agency's Cyber Force Center observed an average of 4,192 cases of suspicious communications per day. That's an increase of about 50 percent from the previous year's daily average of 2,752.

The number of coronavirus cases in Japan has increased to 1,036 as of 10:30 a.m. Thursday, local time. That figure includes 706 people from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The vessel is moored at Yokohama Port, near Tokyo.

The tally is based on data compiled by the health ministry and local governments.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has stressed that the Tokyo summer Games will go ahead as planned. His comment comes amid concerns about the new coronavirus.

Bach spoke at a news conference on Wednesday after a two-day executive board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.