A couple wearing face masks amid concerns of the COVID-19 coronavirus chat at a train station in Tokyo. (Photo: AFP)

TOKYO, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Japan's health ministry and local governments said Monday the number of COVID-19 infections stood at a total of 812 in Japan as of 6:30 p.m. local time here.

The death toll in Japan from the virus currently stands at a total of 32 people, according to the health ministry, with the figure including those from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama, close to Tokyo.

According to the latest statistics, eight new infections were confirmed in Hokkaido, Niigata, Gunma, Hyogo, and Shiga prefectures.

Of the 812 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan, the majority are in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, which has confirmed 152 cases and previously declared a state of emergency over the situation.

Aichi Prefecture, meanwhile, has 121 confirmed cases, Osaka 106, Tokyo 90, Hyogo 79 and Kanagawa Prefecture has confirmed 55 COVID-19 infections, according to the latest statistics from the health ministry and local authorities.