Two passengers on the cruise ship Diamond Princess who were infected with the new coronavirus have died. They are the first fatalities among passengers from the ship.
A total of 621 passengers and crew members among roughly 3,700 on board have tested positive for the virus as of Wednesday.
China's central bank has lowered the benchmark rate by 0.1 percentage point to try and help businesses weather the coronavirus outbreak.
The People's Bank of China announced that this month's Loan Prime Rate is 4.05 percent, marking the first rate cut in three months.
A man in his 60s, who lives in Fukuoka City, has tested positive for the new coronavirus. He's the first person confirmed with the virus in the Kyushu region.
It marks the 85th case of infection in Japan aside from those on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
Japanese government officials say two passengers from the Diamond Princess have died after being infected with the new coronavirus. These are the first confirmed deaths among the people on the cruise ship.
The two passengers are a man and a woman, both in their 80s.
Foreign media are expressing doubts and concerns over the Japanese government's treatment of people who are disembarking the coronavirus- hit cruise ship. Japan is allowing those people to use public transportation and to return to their homes.
People started leaving the ship on Wednesday and will continue to disembark on Thursday and Friday.
The Japanese government has compiled guidelines for closing schools and nursing homes if the coronavirus outbreak worsens.
The education and health ministries on Tuesday notified prefectural governments of the guidelines aimed at preventing the further spread of the virus. The guidelines cover schools, nursing homes, facilities for the disabled and other institutions across the country.
Japan's government plans to reexamine its handling of the mass infection of the new coronavirus aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess.
About 3,700 passengers and crew members had stayed on the ship, which remains quarantined at a dock in Yokohama.
The second group of the passengers from a virus-stricken cruise ship will leave the vessel on Thursday.
The new coronavirus infection has been confirmed in 621 passengers and crewmembers on the Diamond Princess, moored at Yokohama Port, near Tokyo.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, has announced plans to send a probe to one of Mars' moons and bring back samples from its surface.
A science ministry panel of experts approved the plan on Wednesday.
Japanese authorities confirmed 705 cases of the new coronavirus as of 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
The figure is based on reports from the health ministry and municipalities across the country.
Japanese health experts say the new coronavirus continued to spread on the cruise ship Diamond Princess even after the passengers were told to stay in their cabins as a quarantine measure.
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases reported this on its English website on Wednesday.
Foreign visitor numbers to Japan have fallen again for a fourth straight month. Figures for January show a steep decline in tourists from South Korea.
Tourism operators are also preparing for the impact of the coronavirus epidemic. That's expected to hit the industry from February onwards.
Japan's top government spokesperson has defended Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's replies to questions about dinner parties held at a Tokyo hotel on the eve of annual cherry blossom viewing events he hosted.
Opposition lawmaker Kazunori Yamanoi told the Lower House Budget Committee on Wednesday that the hotel says it issues itemized statements without exception, and contradicts the prime minister regarding receipts. He accused Abe of making false replies.
Another 79 people on a quarantined cruise ship docked in Yokohama, near Tokyo, have tested positive for the coronavirus. That brings the total number of confirmed cases to 621.
The update comes just hours after passengers began disembarking the ship following a two-week quarantine period.