Japanese PM cancels plan to visit US, Australia amid COVID-19 concern

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday that he will abandon provisional plans to visit the United States and Australia for summit talks prior to the start of a regular Diet session here in mid-January.

Kishida said that in the year ahead he had been hoping to enhance diplomatic talks with US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The Japanese prime minister, in addition, said he will not travel overseas before the regular Diet session, but will stay in Japan to oversee the government's measures to tackle a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Owing to the rise in COVID-19 cases here, particularly the local transmission of the Omicron variant of the virus, Kishida also said Tuesday a decision as to whether to apply more stringent border controls on entry to Japan would be decided next week.