Japan's tech billionaire Mikitani joins fight against coronavirus

Rakuten-backed biotech company rolls out test kits after CEO calls for action

20200420 Rakuten announce

Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani: The e-commerce company and Genesis Healthcare will offer COVID-19 PCR testing kits to companies who want to test employees for the coronavirus. (Source photo by Karina Nooka)

WATARU SUZUKI, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Hiroshi Mikitani, founder and chairman of Japanese e-commerce group Rakuten, has joined the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak, as the government grapples with rising infections across Japan.

Rakuten on Monday said that a company it has invested in -- Genesis Healthcare, which carries out genetic sequencing -- will provide testing kits to companies in Tokyo and four other prefectures.

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