The spread of a new coronavirus may affect a state visit to Japan by Chinese President Xi Jinping, expected to take place in early April, as it is uncertain when the outbreak will end.

At a parliamentary meeting on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Xi's visit will be an opportunity to show the two countries' determination to fulfill their global responsibility.

The plan to invite Xi to Japan "remains unchanged," a senior Foreign Ministry official said.

But the virus is spreading fast. After it emerged in China last month, the number of cases there has already surpassed the 8,096 global cases from severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

The SARS crisis began in November 2002 and took eight months to wind down. It is unlikely for the coronavirus outbreak to subside by April.

A Japanese government official said calls may grow in China for Xi to refrain from an overseas trip at this time of crisis. 

Some members of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party are cautious about Xi's visit, citing repeated intrusions by Chinese government ships into Japanese territorial waters and Beijing's response to protests in Hong Kong.

"Given the sentiment of the party, the Japanese government apparently wants Xi not to come for reasons of the virus," an LDP member said.

JIJI Press