Indonesia's first coronavirus case tied to Japanese national

World's fourth-most populous nation curiously had zero infections

20200226 corona virus Indonesia Jakarta Ken Kobayashi

Women wear masks in Jakarta on Feb. 26. The new cases have dispelled theories as to why Indonesia seemed to have escaped coronavirus infections. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

ERWIDA MAULIA, Nikkei staff writer

JAKARTA -- After weeks as one of Asia's only major nations with no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, Indonesia confirmed that two women in the country had been infected, President Joko Widodo said on Monday.

A 64-year-old woman and her 31-year-old daughter, who live outside Jakarta in Depok, West Java Province, were known to have been in contact with a Japanese national who had tested positive in Malaysia after traveling from Indonesia.

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