
TOKYO: The Japanese government is cooperating with the Australian and Canadian governments to decide timelines to return home their nationals on a coronavirus-hit cruise ship, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday.
The Diamond Princess ship, on which group infections with the new virus were confirmed, has been quarantined at the port of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo.
The US and South Korean governments dispatched planes to evacuate their citizens from the ship. Italy, Israel, Britain, Hong Kong and Taiwan hope to bring back their citizens from the ship as well.
Suga said at a press conference, "The government is making all efforts to secure the health of all the passengers and crew members."
"The government wishes to consider the best international framework to combat the spread of the virus," he added.
JIJI Press