The Japanese government says it has confirmed the country's third case of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu told reporters on Monday that a man in his 30s who had stayed in Italy is infected with the variant.

Matsuno said the man tested positive in a test he took upon his arrival in Japan. A genome analysis at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases confirmed the strain of the virus.

Matsuno said the government has information on the people who traveled with the man and those who sat near him on the plane.

He did not reveal the man's nationality, saying that the government only discloses information that would help prevent the spread of the virus.

Matsuno added that the government will step up measures to prevent the virus from entering the country and conduct more genome analyses of virus samples.

Source: ANNnewsCH