TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his cabinet ministers are all expected to skip overseas trips scheduled for the Golden Week holiday starting later this month, due to the coronavirus pandemic, sources familiar with the situation said.

A response to the virus' spread in the country is the government's top priority after Abe declared a state of emergency last week for Tokyo and six other prefectures, the sources said.

Abe is likely to give up a plan to visit Russia to attend a ceremony on May 9 to mark the 75th anniversary of the former Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, sources familiar with the matter said.

The prime minister "will focus on a coronavirus response during the holiday period," an aide said.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has canceled a trip to Latin American countries including Argentina. Defense Minister Taro Kono is set to stay in Japan.

"Overseas trips by cabinet ministers would be difficult given reduced international flights due to the pandemic," a government source said.

Such trips will become possible once the current parliamentary session ends on June 17, a senior Foreign Ministry official said. "But things depend on how the pandemic evolves," the official said.

JIJI Press