The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is calling on people to stay at home from Saturday through May 6 to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The authorities designated the 12-day period, which includes Japan's "Golden Week" spring holidays, as "stay-home week."

A landmark Ferris wheel in the Japanese city of Yokohama is being lit up with a message calling on people to stay home to help contain the coronavirus outbreak.

The world-class Ferris wheel with a diameter of 110 meters is usually a popular attraction at an amusement park near Tokyo. But it is currently out of service due to the park's closure.

In Japan, more people are being asked to take steps to slow down a surge in coronavirus infections.

People in Tokyo are adjusting to a sudden lifestyle shift as the number of cases there topped 2,000.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has called on residents to refrain from non-essential, non-urgent outings, following the confirmation of 118 new cases of coronavirus infections in the prefecture.

In a comment released on Saturday, Koike added that there is sufficient capacity to treat patients this weekend, and that those with mild or no symptoms will be moved to hotels in accordance with the health ministry's instructions, as she had announced on Friday.

Japan has so far been spared from the worst effects of the coronavirus pandemic. But health authorities are afraid that may now be changing.

Tokyo is emerging as the epicenter of the outbreak in the country. The Metropolitan Government is calling on people to stay at home after sunset, to help curb the spread.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to intensify its call for people to stay at home after sunset as part of its efforts to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

Sources familiar with the policy say multiple people are suspected of having contracted the virus while dining at restaurants at night.

The Tokyo metropolitan government plans to continue asking residents to work from home and refrain from nighttime outings on weekdays as much as possible to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The request will remain in place at least until April 12. The Tokyo government has postponed or canceled major events that had been scheduled during this period.

Tokyo's governor is urging residents to stay home this weekend unless they absolutely must go out. The call comes after officials confirmed more than 40 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday ... the largest one-day spike the city has seen so far.

Yuriko Koike told reporters on Wednesday, "We are now at a critical juncture. We want Tokyo residents to realize this and do their work at home as much as possible on weekdays ... though we understand that may not be possible depending on your line of work. We want people to refrain from going out at night. We also want residents to refrain from going out this weekend, unless it is urgent."

Japan's Immigration Services Agency will allow foreign technical trainees to extend their stay if they cannot take skills tests because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Foreign technical trainees can stay in Japan for up to five years. They are required to take tests to renew their visas.

Japanese Justice Minister Masako Mori has apologized for controversial remarks she made during Monday's Diet session, and says she wants to continue in her post.

Mori said that prosecutors fled Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture before the public when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck on March 11, 2011.

Japan's welfare ministry has asked local authorities to keep childcare facilities open while schools nationwide are closed amid the spread of the new coronavirus.

The request came on Thursday after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled a plan earlier in the day to effectively ask all elementary, junior high, and senior high schools as well as special-needs schools across the country to start their spring holidays on Monday. The holiday period usually ends in early April.

TOKYO — Yamaha has warned people not to try and squeeze inside musical instrument cases after reports former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn fled Japan concealed inside in one. "We won't mention the reason, but there have been many tweets about climbing inside large musical instrument cases. A warning after any unfortunate accident would be too late, so we ask everyone not to try it," the Japanese company said in a post on its twitter account on Jan. 11. Ghosn, who is accused of hiding earnings, transferring investment losses to Nissan and misappropriating company funds, escaped from Japan at the end of December for Lebanon. Japanese authorities have vowed to pursue him and have issued an international wanted notice for him and his wife Carole. The former auto executive and fugitive has declined to reveal how he slipped past Japanese airport security, or confirm media reports accomplices smuggled him through a private jet lounge in Kansai Airport in western Japan hidden in large speaker box that was too large to fit through the facility's X-ray scanner. Earlier reports, which Ghosn has dismissed, said he was carried out of his home in Tokyo in a double bass case. Yamaha, which makes instruments and equipment ranging from pianos and double basses to drums, electronics and heavy duty speakers, thanked people in a second tweet for liking its first post, which was retweeted more than 50,000 times. It also reminded followers again that instrument cases are designed for instruments and not people.