A Canadian man who arrived in Tokyo on Monday from Liberia via London tested negative for the deadly Ebola virus, the Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry announced Tuesday.
The Ebola virus was not detected in a sample of his blood sent to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the ministry said.
The man, in his 40s, has not developed symptoms, but will remain in the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in central Tokyo for three days more for further observation, according to the ministry.
The Canadian man was transported to the center on Monday after arriving at Tokyo's Haneda airport as he had a fever of 37.8 degrees Celsius. He is expected to be released if the second blood test for Ebola, to be conducted in about three days, shows negative.
According to public broadcaster NHK, the man, a 45-year-old journalist, stayed in the West African country of Liberia for two months through October 18 and visited Belgium and Britain before arriving in Tokyo. The man told Japanese authorities that he was covering the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, but was not in contact with any patients there, NHK said.
Last Friday, the ministry began checking all travelers entering Japan at quarantine stations. Officials are looking for those who stayed in any of four African nations suffering Ebola outbreaks -- Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone or the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- within the previous 21 days.