The Japanese government is considering expanding the coverage of its entry ban to also include foreigners who have been to the eastern China province of Zhejiang in response to the spreading outbreak of pneumonia blamed on the new coronavirus originating in the country, it was learned Tuesday.

Tokyo is studying the expansion as the number of patients is increasing in Zhejiang, government sources said.

From Feb. 1, Japan started to refuse in principle the entry by foreigners who have stayed in the inland China province of Hubei, including its capital, Wuhan, the epicenter of the viral outbreak, within past two weeks and by those having Chinese passports issued by the Hubei provincial government.

Foreign passengers on the Westerdam cruise ship, which has departed from Hong Kong, were added last Friday to the list of people to be denied entry to Japan.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato and senior officials from relevant ministries and agencies to get updates on the new coronavirus.

They also discussed a set of emergency measures to be drawn up later this week. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is calling on the Abe government to include an expansion of areas subject to the entry ban in the package.

JIJI Press