Japan's health ministry has confirmed the country's first cases of infection with the new variant of the coronavirus that was identified in Britain.

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The five people arrived between December 18 and December 21, before Japan stepped up border control for entrants from Britain. A man in his 60s developed fatigue, but the other four were without symptoms. The Health Minister said the five were sent to quarantine straight from the airports.

After they tested positive for the virus, further analysis conducted at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases determined they had the British variant that is 70 per cent more transmissible, the ministry said in a statement. The head of a government taskforce, called for tighter border control to prevent new variants.