Jan 28 (NHK) - Japan's government is taking steps to evacuate Japanese citizens who want to leave Wuhan, the city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak. Japanese companies are preparing to repatriate employees and their families. About 160 companies are operating in and around the city.
Half of the firms are in auto manufacturing. Honda is repatriating staff and says it will bring back about 30 people. Leading manufacturer of chip-making equipment, Tokyo Electron, is doing the same.
Retailer Aeon has 12 Japanese employees at a group company in Wuhan. The firm says it will bring back all those not essential to running its five supermarkets in the city.
Tire maker Bridgestone has two Japanese workers in the area. It says one worker is already home and the other expects to return on a charter flight.
