TOKYO: The Japanese health ministry said Wednesday that a second case of infection with the omicron coronavirus variant has been confirmed in the country.

The variant was detected in a man in his 20s who arrived in Japan from Peru on Saturday after a transit in Doha. His nationality is unknown.

He tested positive for the virus during quarantine procedures at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. The omicron variant was detected after a genome analysis.

The man was quarantined at a designated facility after his arrival and is now staying at a hospital, according to the ministry.

No omicron cases have been reported in Peru, according to the ministry.

The man was asymptomatic on arrival but developed a fever and a sore throat while staying at the designated facility. He had been fully vaccinated against the virus by October.

All 114 other passengers on the same flight with the man from Doha tested negative for the virus. They are under a 14-day quarantine as close contacts.

On Tuesday, Japan confirmed its first case of the omicron variant in a Namibian diplomat who entered the country from the southern African nation.

JIJI Press