Coronavirus could hit Japan harder than SARS

People wearing face masks take photos near the Sensoji temple in Tokyo's Taito area on January 27, 2020. - AFP

TOKYO: China’s escalating viral outbreak may end up hitting Japan’s fragile economy harder than the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2003, according to economists.

Tourism has become a much more important prop to Japan’s growth over the last decade, and Chinese tourists are the biggest spenders.