Asahi reported that Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga on Wednesday commented on President Trump’s remarks on Tuesday suggesting that the U.S. may impose restrictions on travelers from Japan because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The government spokesman reportedly said: “We will provide the U.S. government with accurate and detailed updates on the status of infection in Japan and measures that are in place to contain the disease.”

In a related development, Sankei and Yomiuri took up remarks made at the Diet yesterday by Prime Minister Abe, who said the administration takes seriously WHO Director-General Tedros’s remark that Japan is one of the nations of “greatest concern.” Yomiuri added, however, that the GOJ reportedly asked the WHO to correct its top official’s comment, as Tokyo is increasingly alarmed by the restrictions on travelers from Japan being adopted by a growing number of foreign countries. An unnamed senior MOFA official reportedly said: “Japan is now being viewed as a country with a high risk of infection.” According to the daily, Tedros said after Tokyo filed the complaint that 80% of the infections that have been detected in locations other than China have been in South Korea, Iran, and Italy.  

In a related development, all national dailies took up the announcement made by Guangdong Province of China yesterday that travelers from Japan, South Korea, Italy, and Iran will be quarantined for two weeks upon arrival in the region.