Japan's health minister stressed Tokyo's 14-day quarantine for foreigners arriving from South Korea and China is not a measure based on law, but a "request without binding force."

According to Japan's Kyodo News on Friday, Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said the measure is merely a request that travelers from the two countries stay at their hotels for two weeks.

Kato cited the rising number of new coronavirus infections in South Korea and China, as well as mounting public anxiety in Japan, as reasons behind the quarantine.

The minister also indicated the decision was abruptly made the previous day.

During a meeting on the outbreak on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would request all travelers from the two countries to be isolated for two weeks at designated sites.

The Japanese government, meanwhile, is not expected to cover the cost of the requested quarantine.