Japan's education ministry is set to release guidelines on how schools closed due to the coronavirus outbreak could resume classes in stages.

Education minister Hagiuda Koichi said on Friday that local education boards across Japan will be informed of the guidelines the same day.

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.