section_path: Economic impact by continent, region and country/Asia/East Asia/Japan
section_name: Japan
paragraph_text: Japan
  
  Former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe has said that "the new coronavirus is having a major impact on tourism, the economy and our society as a whole". Face masks have sold out across the nation and stocks of face masks are depleted within a day of new arrivals. There has been pressure placed on the healthcare system as demands for medical checkups increase. Chinese people have reported increasing discrimination. The health minister has pointed out that the situation has not reached a point where mass gatherings must be called off 1 February 2020.
  
  Aviation, retail and tourism sectors have reported decreased sales and some manufactures have complained about disruption to Chinese factories, logistics and supply chains. Prime Minister Abe has considered using emergency funds to mitigate the outbreak's impact on tourism, of which Chinese nationals account for 40%. S&P Global noted that the worst hit shares were from companies spanning travel, cosmetics and retail sectors which are most exposed to Chinese tourism. Nintendo announced that they would delay shipment of the Nintendo Switch, which is manufactured in China, to Japan.
  
  The outbreak itself was a concern for the 2020 Summer Olympics which was scheduled to take place in Tokyo starting at the end of July. The national government thus took extra precautions to help minimise the outbreak's impact.
  
  On 27 February 2020, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe requested that all Japanese schools close until late March, the end of the school year, to help contain the virus..