People walk across at the famed Shibuya scramble crossing as the snow comes down on Jan. 6, 2022, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government will further extend an entry ban on non-resident foreigners until the end of February, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday.

       The ban has been in place since Nov. 30 after the country confirmed its first case of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

       Kishida recently told a Fuji TV program that the government would decide whether to continue with the current strict border controls after the three-day weekend ends Monday.

       He told reporters Tuesday morning that "the framework (of the current border controls) will be maintained until the end of February."

       The government introduced the measures initially for about a month, barring entries by non-resident foreigners and requiring returning Japanese nationals and foreign residents to quarantine in government-designated facilities.

       Kishida later said that the measures would be extended "for the time being" past early January.

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