A bodyguard of Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but Kono himself is negative, police and the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The bodyguard, who belongs to the Metropolitan Police Department, developed a fever earlier Tuesday and was confirmed positive in a polymerase chain reaction test, with infection routes unknown, the police said.

Kono tested negative in a PCR test the same day. He will be on duty on Wednesday and thereafter as scheduled, according to the ministry.

Three others close to the minister were also confirmed negative for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, it said.

The bodyguard's infection comes at a time when Japan is seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, with the Tokyo metropolitan area and other areas such as Osaka and Aichi reporting a record number of single-day cases in recent days.