Abe calls for China to step up on global front

Japan's Prime Minister on Monday said he would like to see China "play a role worthy of its responsibility" and global standing in dealing with the international impact of the coronavirus.

Speaking in Tokyo, Shinzo Abe also said he wanted to attend a Group of Seven summit, "if the adjustment is going to be well coordinated", adding that "it is still being arranged with various countries."

US president Donald Trump had scheduled the summit for June 10-12 at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.

But in March, he announced he was cancelling the annual meeting because of the pandemic and that the leaders would confer by video conference instead.

Japan, which has reported more than 16,500 confirmed cases and more than 800 deaths according to Johns Hopkins University, has so far avoided the large outbreaks that have been experienced in the U.S. and the Europe despite its softer restrictions.

However, the number of infections is thought to be far higher than that of confirmed and reported cases, because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

And the world’s third-largest economy is fallen into a recession, with public discontent over Abe’s handling of the coronavirus has sent his support ratings tumbling.