Crowds wearing protective masks, following an outbreak of the coronavirus, are seen at the Shinagawa station in Tokyo, Japan, March 2, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Monday confirmed at least 19 new coronavirus cases, bringing the number of infections in the country to 980, including passengers who caught the pathogen on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, Kyodo newswire reported.

Infections were reported around the country, including five on the northern island of Hokkaido five others in a nursing home in Kanagawa prefecture near Tokyo, and two people in Osaka city in western Japan, Kyodo said.