Tokyo - Japan on Sunday reported a total of 28 confirmed cases of the H1N1 influenza known as swine flu. The latest cases involved pupils and teachers from the prefectures of Osaka and neighbouring Hyogo who tested positive for the virus.
Around 570 schools and kindergartens in the affected areas were shut, the Kyodo news agency reported, quoting authorities.
Osaka governor, Toru Hashimoto, urged on the population to take preventative measures such as washing hands and wearing masks. He also called for calm, saying his government would do everything it could to combat the spread of the virus.
