Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has tested positive for COVID-19. This has forced him to cancel a planned trip to Tunisia to attend a key conference on African development, a person close to him said on Sunday.
The Japanese PM, having only just returned from a week-long vacation, will work from his residence on Monday. He is expected to the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) online, the source said, asking not to be identified because he is not authorised to talk to the media.
On Saturday, Kishida developed a cough and fever. He too a PCR test on Sunday morning which confirmed that he was Covid positive, a Cabinet Office spokesperson said.
According to news agency Reuters, the eighth TICAD and the first since 2019 is being co-hosted with the United Nations, the World Bank, and the African Union Commission. Among discussion on measures to bolster development, the gathering will look at ways to help the continent tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kishida’s news comes as Japan witnesses a record resurgence in COVID cases through July and August. This has hit business in the country although disruptions have been milder compared to other advanced nations. The saving grace is that the number of deaths to the disease remain relatively low.
Japan’s economy grew an annualised 2.2% in the second quarter. This a slower-than-expected rebound from a COVID-induced slump. These is still much uncertainty over whether consumption can boost a fragile economy.
