All visitors to Japan from Korea and China will be quarantined for 14 days starting next week, Tokyo said Thursday.
Japan also voided entry visas that have been issued to Koreans and Chinese and stopped visa-free access. Any new visas are subject to strict limitations.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the measures will be implemented "to ease fears caused by coronavirus" in the country.
Any visitors who have lived in Korea's North Gyeongsang Province, which has emerged as a hotbed of coronavirus infections, will be banned.
Passenger planes from Korea can land only at Narita and Kansai airports, and all cruise ships from Korea and China are banned from Japanese ports.
Korea expressed regret, with senior presidential secretary Kim Sang-jo saying the announcement was "extremely regrettable."
The government here will give its official response on Friday.