OREANDA-NEWSThe main indicators of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Thursday fell by almost 2% against the background of the ongoing spread of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV.

According to the trading data, the key index for Japan in Japan, Nikkei, which reflects the stock prices of 225 leading companies in the country, fell 1.87% by the end of the morning session compared to the close of trading on January 29, to 22941.2 points. This is the second major drop in the past week - on January 27, Nikkei lost almost 2%. The main factor behind the fall remains investors' concerns about the further spread of the virus and the negative impact on the economy.

To date, 11 people have been identified in Japan who have become infected with the new coronavirus. Nine of them came from the Chinese city of Wuhan, which became the focus of the outbreak. Two were already infected in Japan itself - a driver and a guide who accompanied tourists from Wuhan.

Chinese authorities recorded an outbreak of coronavirus-induced 2019-nCoV pneumonia in late December 2019 in Wuhan. By Thursday morning, the number of cases in the PRC exceeded 7.7 thousand people, of which 170 died. In addition to China and Japan, coronavirus has been detected in another 15 countries. WHO recognized the outbreak as a national emergency for China and sent experts to the country.