Japan's health ministry says another 44 cases of new coronavirus infection have been confirmed on the cruise ship Diamond Princess.

This brings the number of passengers and crew members found to have been infected with the virus to 218.

Passengers on the second plane to evacuate Japanese people from Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak, who tested negative for the virus can head home now that their quarantine period has ended.

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.

The Japanese government has devised the first set of emergency measures to deal with the new coronavirus outbreak.

The government aims to have a system at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo that can significantly increase the number of samples tested at one time. It will also promote speedy tests at 83 public health institutes across Japan.

Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan plans to promote a four-day work week for care workers as part of work reform measures to attract more to the field.

Japan's health ministry estimates the prefecture will face a shortage of more than 4,700 of such caregivers in fiscal 2025.

The Japanese government has compiled its first set of emergency measures against the new coronavirus outbreak.

Reserve funds will be partially used to cover the expenses.

Japan's health ministry appears set to launch studies into how to prevent crew on board a cruise ship hit by the coronavirus outbreak from catching the virus.

The move comes as 20 crew members of the quarantined Diamond Princess have tested positive for the virus.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Wednesday that supplies of face masks will likely top 100 million per week.

Japan faces an acute shortage of face masks following the outbreak of the new coronavirus in China.

Japan's health ministry says 39 more people on a quarantined cruise ship have tested positive for the new coronavirus. That brings the total number of cases on the vessel to 174.

A quarantine officer from the health ministry has also been infected. The man, who is in his 50s, had been checking body temperatures and collecting questionnaires on the ship early last week.

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.

Japan's health ministry says another 39 people on board a cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port and a quarantine official are confirmed to have the new corona virus. The update brings the total found on the Diamond Princess to 174 cases.

The ministry says virus tests for 53 more people came back positive for 29 passengers and 10 crewmembers.

Japan' health minister Katsunobu Kato says 39 more people on board a cruise ship at the port of Yokohama have been found to be infected with the new coronavirus. A quarantine official has also been infected separately.

Kato told reporters on Wednesday morning that the new infections were confirmed from 53 people tested. This brings the total number of passengers and crew infected on the vessel to 174 out of 492 people tested.

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.