The first case of COVID-19 ( disease ) in Japan was confirmed before January 20 , 2020 .
Japanese medical surveillance confirmed its first case of the virus on 16 January in a resident of Kanagawa Prefecture who had returned from Wuhan. A resident of Kanagawa Prefecture in his 30s who had previously travelled to Wuhan developed a fever on 3 January and subsequently returned to Japan on 6 January .
2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan