Japan's efforts to avoid a domestic epidemic of the new coronavirus from China, rather than preparing for an influx in patients, may only be "delaying the inevitable."
"My concern is that the government will think the country is secure because we've closed our borders," says Koji Wada, a professor in public health at the International University of Health and Welfare.
Though Japan has barred entry to foreign nationals who have recently traveled near the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, the government faces the urgent task of preparing health care providers for a large number of patients.