Foreign residents in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo are turning to a medical facility offering service in six languages for help amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Staff at the Kobayashi International Clinic in Yamato City can respond to patients in six languages, including English, Korean and Tagalog.

The governor of Tokyo has again urged people to refrain from non-essential outings, warning that the capital is at a critical juncture in preventing an explosive spread of the coronavirus.

Yuriko Koike made the appeal as she reported 40 new cases in Tokyo on Friday. The Japanese capital has seen 40 or more new patients for three straight days.

NHK has learned that the Japanese government's task force drew up a draft policy to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

The policy says prefectural governors could ask residents to refrain from going out for about 3 weeks, if the prime minister declares a state of emergency to deal with the outbreak.

Japan's government has launched a new task force to fight a growing coronavirus outbreak. The move paves the way for the Prime Minister to declare a state of emergency based on a newly enacted law.

Shinzo Abe said, "In order to overcome the challenge our country is now facing, the state, local governments, medical workers, business operators and all residents need to be united and push ahead with measures to tackle the illness caused by the new coronavirus. I want the minister in charge of the special law, the health minister, and other relevant ministers to swiftly come up with basic guidelines."

Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials plan to secure up to 4,000 hospital beds to accept new coronavirus patients in case of a sudden surge in infections.

Officials on Monday held a meeting of a new coronavirus taskforce and disclosed future policies to respond to the outbreak.

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have agreed that their nations will cooperate with the other Group of Seven members in responding to the coronavirus outbreak.

Aso and Mnuchin spoke over the phone on Tuesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have agreed to work closely together to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

In phone talks on Sunday, Abe briefed Johnson on the situation in Japan and how the government is trying to contain the virus.

Japan's government has decided on its second emergency package to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

The government taskforce on the new coronavirus endorsed the 4.2 billion-dollar package on Tuesday.

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways will slash domestic flights from Friday due to a drop in travel demand amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

The two Japanese airlines will for the first time curtail domestic services in the face of an increase in new infections.

An ancient Shinto shrine in Kyoto City, western Japan, offered a prayer to its deity on Tuesday, hoping for an end to the new coronavirus outbreak.

Kamigamo Shrine is recognized as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The shrine holds a ritual every year on March 3, the day of the dolls' festival, to pray for health and drive away evil.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the government will quickly draw up legislation to prepare for a worst-case scenario involving the new coronavirus outbreak.

Abe spoke to an Upper House committee on Monday about the request he had made to shut down schools across Japan from Monday until the start of the spring break.

Japanese labor ministry officials say they've been inundated by calls from businesses seeking advice about how to respond to the coronavirus outbreak since launching a consultation service almost two weeks ago.

The officials say they've had about 800 inquiries from firms in the manufacturing, tourism, hospitality and other sectors. They say some companies want to know if they can get financial support if their businesses take a hit.

Japan's health minister stressed that now is a crucial time to control the spread of the new coronavirus in the country, and appealed for the public's cooperation.

Katsunobu Kato spoke to reporters on Tuesday following the government's endorsement of a basic policy for measures against the virus outbreak.

Experts on a government panel have agreed on the need to prevent clusters of the new coronavirus in Japan from expanding further.

The view comes as the Japanese government is set to compile comprehensive guidelines to contain the spread of the virus on Tuesday.