The Japanese government has tightened its rules for travelers from South Africa, where a new variant of the coronavirus was detected.

Japan started refusing arrivals from South Africa on Saturday. Japanese and non-Japanese who have resident status in Japan are allowed entry. But they are being asked to self-quarantine for 14 days on arrival in the country.

Japan further tightened its border entry restrictions on Friday in an effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The government is calling on all arrivals from any part of the world to self-quarantine at home, hotels or elsewhere for two weeks. Travelers are asked to avoid using public transportation to get to those places. The measures will be in place through the end of this month.

Travelers arriving to Japan from two neighboring countries are now facing stricter controls. The tight restrictions are part of the government's efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus... but they've left some passengers confused.

Flights arriving from China and South Korea can now only land at two airports - one near Tokyo or another in Osaka.

The Japanese government is asking travelers from China and South Korea to self-quarantine for two weeks starting from Monday in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

It will apply to everyone entering from the two countries, including Japanese nationals, until the end of March.

Narita Airport outside Tokyo is tightening quarantine controls after Japanese health authorities confirmed the first case of infection of a new coronavirus linked to a pneumonia outbreak in China.

The new coronavirus was detected in a resident of Japan who had visited the Chinese city of Wuhan.