The season's first large vessels fishing for Pacific saury have arrived at a port in Hokkaido, northern Japan, with a combined haul amounting to only about one percent of last year's volume.

Two large ships with displacements of over 100 tons returned to Hanasaki Port in Nemuro City on Wednesday. The port has had Japan's largest catches of saury for 10 years in a row.

A team of experts says people with mild symptoms are thought to be unwittingly spreading the new coronavirus in Japan and should avoid crowded places where ventilation is poor.

On Monday, an expert team of a government task force on the Covid-19 outbreak published its views of the current situation and what measures to take.