Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been diagnosed with Covid-19 and cancelled his planned international travel while he isolates and recovers.
The Japanese leader developed a slight fever and cough late on Saturday and a PCR test for the coronavirus was positive, said Noriyuki Shikata, the cabinet secretary for public affairs at the prime minister’s office.
“Prime Minister Kishida is isolated inside his residence,” he told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The 65-year-old prime minister was on summer vacation last week and was scheduled to return to work on Monday. It is not clear where or how he was infected.
Mr Kishida will not go in person to a conference on African development later this month in Tunisia but will participate online. He has also postponed a trip to the Middle East.
Cases of coronavirus infections have been surging recently in Japan, although most people — including Mr Kishida — have been vaccinated. Other world leaders including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden have been diagnosed with Covid-19 and recovered.
