FILE PHOTO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso attend the regular session of parliament in Tokyo, Japan, January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s prime minister and deputy prime minister will avoid attending the same meeting as a precaution against coronavirus infection, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.
“Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe told cabinet members this morning that Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso would not join a meeting where he attends,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Akihiro Nishimura told a news briefing.
If Abe is incapacitated, Aso is next in line to step in as the country’s leader.
Reporting by Takashi Umekawa and Linda Sieg; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim
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