TOKYO: Shinji Inoue, Japanese minister in charge of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, western Japan, has decided to self-quarantine at home over the novel coronavirus, the Cabinet Office said Friday.

Inoue sat next to House of Representatives member Shuichi Takatori, who has tested positive for the virus, when they attended a plenary meeting of the Lower House on Wednesday, according to the government agency.

There has been no change in Inoue’s condition, the agency said. Takatori’s infection with the virus was announced by the Lower House on Friday. Symptoms of the lawmaker of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are light, according to the chamber.

Inoue was slated to visit Osaka on Saturday for the first time since taking office to hold talks with Hirofumi Yoshimura, governor of Osaka Prefecture, and Ichiro Matsui, mayor of the city of Osaka, the capital of the prefecture, for talks on the 2025 event.

But the minister decided to postpone the visit due to the self-quarantining. He assumed the ministerial post on Wednesday, when the cabinet of new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was launched.

JIJI Press