Japan confirms 20 more cases of swine flu

Tokyo: Japan's health ministry announced on Sunday that 20 more teenagers have been confirmed as having swine flu.

The news came as the government shut down schools in affected cities. The country's tally is now at 25.

The students, who attend several high schools in the western prefectures of Hyogo and Osaka, tested positive for the H1N1 virus, said ministry official Takuya Nemoto.

He said the students are recovering at local hospitals. The government immediately ordered schools closed in parts of the affected cities.

Japan on Saturday confirmed its first domestic case of swine flu in another student in the western port city of Kobe, west of Tokyo.

Swine flu has killed more than 70 people worldwide, mostly in Mexico.