Japan confirms first death due to coronavirus

Japan on Thursday confirmed its first coronavirus death, country's health minister announced on Thursday.

According to the statement, the victim was an eighty-year-old woman and was resident of Kanagawa prefecture, which borders on Tokyo.

Thought he victim was coronavirus infected, authorities said, it is not clear if the virus caused her death.

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"The relationship between the new coronavirus and the death of the person is still unclear," health minister Katsunobu Kato said.

"This is the first death of a person who tested positive." 

The case comes as Japan allowed few aged travellers on a quarantined cruise liner who test negative for the coronavirus to debark ahead of schedule as another 44 new cases were confirmed aboard the Diamond Princess.

With the number of those infected on the cruise ship now up to 218, concerns have been raised about conditions on the ship, where about 3,500 people remain on board.

Meanwhile, in China, where the case deadly virus was first reported in December, the death toll leaped to 242 in just one day with over 60,000 infected, China's health ministry said.

Hubei's health commission said another 14,840 new cases were reported in the area. The previous record rise in the toll was 103 on February 10.

At least 1,355 people have now died nationwide due to the virus. The virus has already spread to at least 27 countries with Singapore reporting 50 new cases.