NHK has learned that the Japanese government is planning to expand entry restrictions to foreigners from parts of Europe where the new coronavirus infection is rapidly spreading.
The new restrictions will apply to three areas in Spain, including the Madrid region; four areas in Italy, including the northern region of Liguria; the Ticino region of southern Switzerland; and all of Iceland.
The Japanese government is set to deny entry to visitors from the northern area of Italy which is the latest hot spot in the coronavirus crisis.
The entry ban will cover five regions including hardest-hit Lombardy and the Republic of San Marino.
Japan is set to deny entry to visitors from northern parts of Italy. The Italian areas have been virtually locked down, amid efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The Japanese government is preparing to add northern areas of Italy to the coronavirus travel ban list. People visiting from regions on the list have been barred from entering Japan.
A growing number of countries and regions have banned the entry of travelers from Japan or imposed some restrictions as the new coronavirus continues to spread.
Japan's foreign ministry says that as of Wednesday, Micronesia, Samoa, Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands, and Comoros had restricted the entry of travelers from all countries and territories affected by the virus.
The Japanese government will ban people from the Chinese province of Zhejiang from entering the country starting Thursday, to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus in the country.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the announcement at a meeting of a taskforce dealing with the virus outbreak on Wednesday.
The Japanese government will broaden its entry ban to cover people from the Chinese province of Zhejiang to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan. Many cases of the virus have been found in Zhejiang.
Japan currently bans the entry of foreign nationals who were in Hubei Province within 14 days before their arrival in Japan, or those who hold passports issued by the Hubei provincial government, unless they have special reasons.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his country will deny entry to foreign nationals who have recently stayed in the Chinese province of Hubei, starting on Saturday. This is to help prevent the spread of the new strain of coronavirus.
Abe revealed the measure on Friday at a government task force meeting on the new coronavirus infection.
Japan's health ministry says authorities will conduct virus tests at airports and seaports to speed up the process of identifying those infected with the new coronavirus.
Samples from suspected patients are now being sent for testing to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases or public health institutes across Japan. But the ministry sees the need to accelerate the process as infections of the virus spreads.