Japanese lawmakers may postpone the planned state visit of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to the United Kingdom due to the ongoing spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Japan's Kyodo News agency reported on Monday citing sources close to the matter
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th March, 2020) Japanese lawmakers may postpone the planned state visit of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to the United Kingdom due to the ongoing spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on Monday citing sources close to the matter.
The emperor and empress had accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to travel to the UK for what would be their first official overseas engagement since Naruhito become emperor this past May.
"It will be best for the emperor and empress to make their trip in conditions preferable to both Japan and Britain," the source said, as quoted by the agency.
Naruhito and Masako's proposed state visit, the first by a sitting Japanese emperor to the UK in over two decades, was announced by Buckingham Palace on January 14. According to the agency, the visit was scheduled to take place between April and June.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in both Japan and the United Kingdom has risen steadily since the start of the outbreak. As of noon local time [03:00 GMT] on Monday, the Japanese government has confirmed over 1,500 cases of the coronavirus disease in the country, including over 700 people who contracted the disease while traveling on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. More than 30 people have died after testing positive for COVID-19 in Japan.
As of 09:00 GMT on Sunday, the UK Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed 1,372 cases of COVID-19 in the country, resulting in the deaths of 35 people; a rise of 14 compared to figures released 24 hours before.
