Japan PM cancels planned visit to India, Philippines

According to a foreign news agency, the Prime Minister of Japan was scheduled to visit India and the Philippines at the end of April and the beginning of May respectively but his scheduled tour was cancelled to both countries.

The Japanese premier cancelled his visit to India and the Philippines due to increasing cases of coronavirus.

The trip, which had been scheduled during the period through early May was intended to reaffirm Japan's cooperation with the two countries in achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific, as they look to counter China's military buildup and growing assertiveness in the region.

In India, Suga was expected to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time in person and discuss the promotion of cooperation on economic and security issues.

Japan and India have also decided to postpone their foreign and defence ministerial talks scheduled this weekend in Tokyo due to a rapid increase in coronavirus cases in India.

Suga's visit to the Philippines was aimed at marking the 65th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

It should be noted that the highest number of cases and deaths have been reported in India so far and in the last 24 hours, about 300,000 cases and more than 2,000 deaths have been reported in India.

Delhi's hospitals are short of oxygen, appeals are being made on social media for help from the government, every third person in Delhi is tested positive for coronavirus.

Earlier, UK PM Boris Johnson also called off his tour to India for the same reason.