Photo/Illutration Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno speaks to reporters at a news conference at the prime minister’s office on Aug. 2. (Koichi Ueda)

Another secretary for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida contracted the novel coronavirus during an official visit to the United States, the government announced Aug. 2.

Takayoshi Yamamoto was in New York with Kishida while the prime minister was attending the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference that started Aug. 1.

Yamamoto tested positive when he took a PCR test to return to Japan and has been quarantined in the United States, according to sources.

Yamamoto accompanied Kishida and top senior officials on a government plane. But the Cabinet Secretariat said none of Kishida’s entourage was in close contact with him.

He is the third of Kishida’s eight secretaries to test positive for COVID-19. Hirotaka Unami, who previously worked in the Finance Ministry, became infected on July 27 and Takashi Shimada, who worked in the economy ministry, contracted the virus on July 31.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno became infected on July 23.

Matsuno returned to his official duties on Aug. 2 after recuperating at home.

“I apologize for the concern I have caused,” Matsuno said at a news conference held the same day.

He said he was on the mend from day one during his recuperation period, so he continued to receive reports and hold discussions with government officials at home.

“We are making every effort to ensure that our duties will not be affected by substituting other staff members as needed when we get infected,” Matsuno said. “We will continue to take appropriate measures against COVID-19.”

(This article was written by Keishi Nishimura and Ryutaro Abe.)

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