TOKYO: The fourth charter plane sent to Wuhan, China, by the Japanese government returned to Tokyo on Friday morning, evacuating Japanese nationals and others from the Hubei Province capital at the center of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The flight carrying 198 people, including Chinese members of Japanese nationals' families, arrived at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda. The plane was sent to Wuhan on Thursday night.

Of the returnees, those who display no symptoms of pneumonia from the new strain of coronavirus will be sent to the National Tax College in Wako, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, and stay there while their health conditions will be monitored.

According to the government, four returnees felt sick and were transported to a medical institution.

"With the four charter flights, we believe we could bring back almost all Japanese nationals hoping to return home from Hubei," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference on Friday.

In Hubei, there are now only several people wishing to return home, while dozens of people in the province have said they do not hope to return to Japan, the top government spokesman said.

   It was the first time for Japan to allow Chinese nationals to evacuate to the country aboard a government-chartered plane.

   According to the Japanese government, the 198 people, including 51 aged 6 or under, are Japanese nationals, and their spouses and children. Of them, 80 are residents in Wuhan and 118 in other parts of Hubei.

   Of the total, 119 are Japanese, while 77 have Chinese citizenship and two Taiwanese citizenship.

   Japanese authorities, including the health ministry, will conduct health checks on the passengers and crew members on the plane. Those who are suspected to be infected with the virus or feeling unwell will be sent to hospital.

   The four charter flights transported a total of 763 people to Japan. Of those who returned to Japan on the first to third flights, nine, including four who are not showing any symptoms, tested positive for the virus.

   The ministry is conducting coronavirus tests on all passengers and crew members of the chartered flights.

   Even people testing negative for the virus are asked to stay at hotels or government-related facilities for up to 12.5 days and avoid going outside so that their conditions are carefully monitored for their possible infection with the new coronavirus.

JIJI Press