Japan foreign minister Hayashi tests positive for COVID

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi has tested positive for COVID-19 and is recuperating at home, the ministry said on Wednesday.

No close contacts have been identified at the ministry, it said in a statement. Hayashi developed a mild fever earlier but his current symptoms are limited to a sore throat, a ministry official said.

Kyodo News had earlier reported that Hayashi had canceled his appearance in parliament for the day after developing a fever.