Japan says virus travel curbs not too late as South Korea protests

FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus, is seen on a street in Tokyo, Japan, March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government defended tighter travel restrictions on visitors from China and South Korea, saying they were not too late to help slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, as Seoul protested the measures as "excessive".

"The decision was the result of a comprehensive review of the information available about the situation in other countries and the effects of other measures," chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference on Friday. "I think the timing is appropriate."