The government will extend its suspension of visas held by foreign nationals until the end of May in an effort to contain the spread of infections by the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday.
Visas had initially been suspended until the end of April.
An additional 14 nations, including Russia, have also been added to the list of countries and territories subject to entry bans, bringing the total number to 87.
Visas held by foreign nationals have been suspended and visa waivers invalidated. Visa approvals are being limited to foreign nationals who have applied for humanitarian reasons.
"The world has not hit the brakes on the spread of the virus," Abe said at a coronavirus task force meeting on Monday, explaining why the decision had been made to extend visa suspensions.
The entry-bans covering the 14 newly added countries will come into effect on Wednesday.
Foreign nationals that have visited any of the countries on the list within the past two weeks will, in principle, not be allowed into the country.
The 14 countries added to the banned-entry list are Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Djibouti, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Barbados.
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