Health experts in Japan continue to refine the advice they offer in response to the coronavirus outbreak. They're now urging people, especially younger generations, to be on the alert even if they don't show major symptoms.

Japan Community Healthcare Organization President Shigeru Omi said, " We have come to believe that people with mild symptoms play an important role in spreading the virus without knowing it. In particular, young people are unlikely to become seriously ill, making it very difficult to see the danger they may pose to others. As a result, they infect many middle aged and elderly people, putting them at risk."

Japan's health minister says 28 passengers have developed fevers or other symptoms after disembarking from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Katsunobu Kato said at a Diet committee meeting on Tuesday that the passengers are among those who have responded to his ministry's follow-up surveys.

Japanese authorities say 57 more people on board the quarantined Diamond Princess have tested positive for the new coronavirus.

This brings the total number of virus carriers found on the cruise ship to 691.

Sources say two people have been rushed to hospital after arriving in Japan from China on the fifth flight chartered by the Japanese government.

The flight from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, landed at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Monday morning. It was carrying 36 Japanese nationals and 29 Chinese, many of whom are spouses.

A group of Japanese people who evacuated the virus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan on the third government-chartered flight, except for one, have gone home after a quarantine period.

Japan's health ministry says when they returned to Japan on January 31st, all 145 people tested negative for the new coronavirus and exhibited no symptoms, such as fever,.

Japan's health ministry says eight of the people confirmed infected with the new coronavirus onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship are in serious condition. The ship is quarantined at Yokohama Port, near Tokyo.

The ministry says two other people are also in serious condition. One of them has not been confirmed to be infected, while the other is waiting for the result of a virus test.

Japan's health ministry says 197 people who have stayed in isolation after returning from Wuhan, China, on the first of the government's chartered flights from the city have tested negative for the new coronavirus.

Two hundred six people were on the plane that arrived in Japan on January 29. The 197 did not show any symptoms and tested negative when they were first checked.

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.

Officials at Japan's health ministry say 39 more people have been found infected with the new coronavirus on the cruise ship Diamond Princess at the port of Yokohama.

This brings the total number of passengers and crew infected on the vessel to 174.

Authorities in Japan say 39 new cases of coronavirus have been identified on the cruise ship at Yokohama Port.

A total of 174 cases have now been found on the Diamond Princess. A Japanese health ministry official who was conducting an inspection of the ship is infected with the virus.

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.

Visitors at a Buddhist temple in western Japan marked a time-honored tradition by soaking themselves in cold water in a ritual aimed at toughening the body and soul.

Monday is "daikan" in the traditional Japanese calendar, which means the coldest time of the year. About 10 people braved the chilly temperatures by soaking themselves in frigid water.