TOKYO, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Japanese local governments said Monday that the number of COVID-19 infections increased by 33 as of the latest tally to stand at a total of 480 infected people in Japan as of 10:30 a.m. local time here.

Of the 480 confirmed cases in Japan, not including those related to the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama, the majority are in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, which has already declared a state of emergency over the situation, at 101 cases.

Aichi Prefecture, meanwhile has 80 confirmed cases, Tokyo 64 and Osaka 55, according to the latest statistics from health ministry and local authorities.

The health ministry said there are currently 31 patients considered severely ill and are on ventilators to receive respiratory assistance or have been admitted to intensive care units for medical treatment.

The death toll in Japan from the virus currently stands at 14, according to the health ministry.

The ministry also said that 311 people have been discharged from hospitals after their symptoms improved.■