Japan's capital becomes centre of its coronavirus epidemic

FILE PHOTO: A man, wearing a protective mask following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), walks in Tokyo, Japan March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

TOKYO (Reuters) - The governor of the Japanese capital will on Wednesday ask residents to refrain from going outside for non-essential business at the weekend, public broadcaster NHK said, after the number of cases of coronavirus jumped in the city.

More than 40 new cases were reported in Tokyo on Wednesday, media said, its biggest one-day increase.