TOKYO, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan's lower house of parliament announced on Friday afternoon that a member from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first lawmaker in the country infected with the coronavirus.
Shuichi Takatori, who had been a special aide of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, developed a fever of more than 37 degrees on Friday morning, which has since subsided, and the results of an antigen test came back positive, said his office.
The 59-year-old lawmaker has been admitted to a hospital.
He had attended the lower house plenary session on Wednesday, in which Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was elected, and afterward greeted Abe with LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai.
A four-term lower house member representing a constituency in Niigata Prefecture, Takatori has previously served as senior vice agriculture minister and senior vice minister at the Cabinet Office. Enditem
