The foreign ministers of Japan and the U.S. on Friday agreed to closely cooperate on the coronavirus outbreak, recognizing the need to impose border controls for a certain period of time to address the global health crisis.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held telephone talks after the United States advised citizens to avoid all international travel and urged those abroad to return immediately as infections continued to surge.
"To prevent the spread of the infection, it is necessary to implement appropriate border controls for a certain period of time, and it is important that Japan and the United States as well as related countries cooperate and share information on the issue," Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.