Japanese authorities have discovered a new mutation of the coronavirus.
They have said it's different to the one wreaking havoc in the UK and another that emerged from South Africa.
Four people, who ranged in age from their teens to their 40s, have tested positive for the new strain of Covid-19 after arriving at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on January 2 from Brazil's Amazonas state.
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The National Institute of Infectious Diseases confirmed all four patients had symptoms that included difficulty breathing, fever and a sore throat.
Takaji Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, told a health ministry briefing: "At the moment, there is no proof showing the new variant found in those from Brazil is high in infectiousness."
Brazilian authorities have been notified about the new strain and confirmed it has 12 mutations.
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The UK strain has also been detected in Japan. Two cases have been recorded in the country after two people had dinner with a '30-something man' who had recently arrived from Britain and was positive, according to Nikkei Asia.
The strains found in the UK and South Africa have been found to be more contagious than the original one that was discovered in December 2019 in China.
Japan is in the midst of its worst period of the pandemic since it began. The country was quick to get on top of cases in the early stages of last year, however ever since October, their cases have been climbing every day.
A whopping 7,800 new cases were reported on January 8, which is far more than than the 640 recorded on October.
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The UK and South Africa strains have already been detected in Australia, with quarantine hotels in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland all having reported cases.
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