A British man who was on board a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo has died, Japan's health ministry said Friday.
The unidentified man's death is the latest linked to infections on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where more than 700 other people tested positive for the illness.
The ministry confirmed the man's nationality and death on Friday without giving further details. He is the first Briton to die from the illness and joins five Japanese nationals who also succumbed to the pathogen.
The death comes as the governor of Japan's rural northern island of Hokkaido urged people to stay at home this weekend in a desperate effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
Governor Naomichi Suzuki issued an unprecedented call in a televised meeting of government executives asking locals to "refrain from going out during the weekend" to prevent further spread of the virus.
The region has seen at least 63 cases, including two deaths, accounting for more than a quarter of all infections in Japan excluding those on the Diamond Princess.
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Suzuki's plea came as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe defended his call for schools across the country to close, saying the coming weeks are "crucial" in containing infections.
Abe has also asked organisers to consider cancelling or postponing major gatherings, with a range of events from football matches to concerts already cancelled or rescheduled in recent days.
"We have to prevent emergence of a new cluster of patients among children," he told parliament.
"We made this decision because we regard it as our political responsibility."
"My company doesn't offer teleworking, so I'm going to have to take days off," added another mother. "Financially, it's very hard."