Japan seeks info from Russia after Irkutsk anti-plague lab worker dies

TOKYO - Japan has asked Russia to provide information following the death of a worker at an anti-plague institute in Irkutsk from pneumonia last week, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday.

Motegi said a liaison team headed by Ryo Nakamura, chief of the ministry's Consular Affairs Bureau, was established Wednesday to gather information and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals abroad. It will coordinate with a response team also established at the Consulate-General of Japan in Khabarovsk.