“We want to straightforwardly convey accurate information to the people by firmly ascertaining and analyzing the situation,” Prime Minster Shinzo Abe said during a meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee on Tuesday, expressing his intention to work to dispel unease among the people over the new coronavirus.

Abe is set to concentrate his energies on responding to the issue, canceling his attendance at such events as a gathering for his supporters association scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in his home area of Yamaguchi Prefecture.

In response to the spread of the infection, both the Japanese and Chinese governments decided to delay bilateral financial dialogue slated for Tuesday in Tokyo. Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso and Chinese Finance Minister Liu Kun were scheduled to discuss economic policy as part of preparations for Xi’s visit to Japan.

However, the Japanese side called on China to postpone the talks, saying, “It’s not absolutely necessary to hold the talks at this juncture.” The Chinese side is said to have agreed on the postponement.

Regarding Xi’s state visit to Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga emphasized at a press conference Tuesday that “I have not heard that the visit will be affected [by the issue of the new coronavirus]. We want to quietly move ahead with preparations as scheduled.”

High-ranking Chinese government officials are scheduled to visit Japan from later this month to the end of March, to make prior arrangements for the summit talks between Abe and Xi. They include Yang Jiechi, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and the country’s top foreign policy official, and Wang Yi, foreign minister and a state councilor.

“Unless the spread of infection is resolved inside China, it will be difficult for Yang and other officials to visit Japan for prior arrangements,” said a senior official of the Japanese government. Depending on how the situation turns out, “the state visit to Japan could even be postponed,” according to an official close to the Liberal Democratic Party.

The Japanese government is deeply concerned about measures to cope with the new type of virus, partly because there is less than half a year until the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are held this summer, with a myriad of foreigners expected to come to Japan.

It took about eight months for the World Health Organization to declare in July 2003 the end of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which began spreading from Guangdong Province, southern China, in November 2002 and raged through the world.

The organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Games, its related organizations, the local governments concerned, sports associations and other organizations are expected to hold a meeting on measures to deal with the infectious disease as early as Friday, and to discuss their responses.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Seiko Hashimoto, minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, referred to prior camp training and a joint practice in which Chinese athletes are expected to take part in Japan.

“Unless the plan for the future is mapped out solidly, there will be a huge impact on the holding of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Hashimoto said.