The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the plunge in Tokyo stocks, caused by anxiety about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the global economy.

The meeting brought together senior officials from the BOJ, the Finance Ministry and the Financial Services Agency.

The Japanese government says it has developed technology that can determine whether a person has the new coronavirus in just 15 minutes.

The device is made by a Japanese pharmaceutical company. A government official says the virus can be detected with new technology developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.

Japan's government plans to have passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship who were in close contact with those infected by the new coronavirus stay in facilities it has prepared to monitor their health.

Health minister Katsunobu Kato made the announcement on Friday. The ministry had previously planned to have such passengers remain on the ship.

Japan's health minister says the government is asking event organizers to review the necessity of their events to help prevent a further spread of the new coronavirus outbreak.

Katsunobu Kato called for cooperation at a news conference on Thursday.

Japan's government plans to reexamine its handling of the mass infection of the new coronavirus aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess.

About 3,700 passengers and crew members had stayed on the ship, which remains quarantined at a dock in Yokohama.

The Japanese government's hotline for foreign tourists has been flooded with inquiries about the new coronavirus.

The Japan Visitor Hotline operated by the Japan National Tourism Organization offers support in English, Chinese and Korean 24 hours a day.

Japan's health ministry on Monday announced criteria for medical consultations or treatment for people who may have contracted the coronavirus.

People, including children, with no specific health issues are advised to contact local consultation centers if they have had common cold symptoms or a temperature above 37.5 degrees Celsius for at least four days.

Relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea have strongly urged the Japanese government to take measures to repatriate their loved ones as soon as possible.

The relatives, including Shigeo Iizuka and Akihiro Arimoto, met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Friday.

Japan's government is planning to send a fifth chartered plane to evacuate Japanese citizens from the Chinese province of Hubei which has been hit hard by the new coronavirus outbreak.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters on Monday that arrangements are underway to send the plane this weekend at the earliest.

The Japanese government has given the operator of Tokyo's Narita airport approval to build a third runway and extend one of the two existing ones.

The president of Narita International Airport Corporation, Akihiko Tamura, received the license for the project at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on Friday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has hinted that the government may shoulder the costs of chartered flights to bring back Japanese nationals from Wuhan. The Chinese city is at the center of the new coronavirus outbreak.

Abe made the suggestion at a Lower House budget committee meeting on Friday.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the government will not hesitate to take necessary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus.

Speaking at a Diet committee on Thursday, Abe said the government places top priority on protecting people's health and lives.

Japan's health ministry plans to expand its scope for coronavirus tests following revelations that two people who had not been to the Chinese city of Wuhan were found to have been infected.

The ministry now carries out tests only on those who develop a fever or display symptoms of pneumonia after having traveled to Wuhan or had contact with pneumonia patients from Wuhan.

Japan's government has added pneumonia caused by a new strain of coronavirus to its list of designated infectious diseases.

The Cabinet approved an ordinance on Tuesday giving the illness the designation under the country's infectious disease and quarantine laws.