BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Japan today shut down more than 4000 schools to contain an outbreak of swine flu as most of the cases of the A(H1N1) virus are high school students.

Authorities have closed down around 4043 schools-- double the previous day -- to slow the spread of swine flu, which has so far infected 173 people in the country--the fourth largest national figure on the world infection table.

Many people in the affected urban areas were wearing face masks after the western cities of Kobe and Osaka became the first in Japan to suffer domestic outbreaks of the virus, which spread rapidly through two schools.

The virus is believed to have spread after high schools from the two cities played in a volleyball tournament, and some players and coaches felt feverish afterwards.

The first confirmed domestic infection was reported Saturday. No fatalities have been reported in Japan.

Experts warn the virus will likely soon spread to other regions, including Tokyo, which with almost 36 million people is the world's most populous urban area and the heart of the Japanese economy.

"The virus's spread to Tokyo is near certain and it would be little wonder if the virus had already landed in Tokyo undetected," said Yukihiro Nishiyama, virologist at the medical department of Nagoya University in central Japan.

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