TOKYO: Canon Inc. said it will close its Tokyo headquarters and four offices in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Tuesday through April 17 due to the spread of the novel coronavirus in the metropolitan area.

The headquarters has some 6,000 employees, while the Kawasaki offices engage in research and development. All employees will be off in principle during the period, while the minimum number of workers needed to continue business will work from home, according to the Japanese camera and office equipment maker.

At Hitachi Ltd., some 50,000 employees in Tokyo will continue to work from home once the government declares a state of emergency over the virus.

Employees in other areas will also work from home if asked to do so by local authorities, the electronics and heavy machinery maker said.

Olympus Corp. will extend the work-from-home period to May 1 for some 8,000 group workers in the capital. The measure will expand to include Hokkaido as well as Osaka, Kyoto, Saitama, Kanagawa, Chiba, Aichi, Nara and Fukuoka prefectures, the camera and medical device maker said.

JIJI Press