Mar 23 , 2020. 10 minutes ago – 20:45 KYODO NEWS

TOKYO – Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 major economies held an emergency conference call Monday to discuss the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, a Japanese government official said.

The meeting was called as the virus has rapidly spread from China where the outbreak started to more countries in Europe, North America and other regions since they last met in Riyadh late last month.

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso and Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda are expected to join the call, which will be followed by another teleconference to be held this week by leaders of the G-20 members.

The G-20 finance chiefs expressed their readiness to act against risks to the global economy posed by the epidemic when they gathered in Riyadh.

Earlier this month, they also issued a statement to show their commitment to taking necessary actions to shield the global economy from the virus and protect financial markets from unstable moves.

However, financial markets remained unstable, leaving the global economic outlook uncertain and prompting central banks in the United States, Europe, Japan and other countries to scramble to implement stimulus measures to regain market stability.

Saudi Arabia, the host of the group’s meetings this year, has said the members will act together with international organizations “to alleviate the impact of the pandemic” and will present a “coordinated set of policies to protect people and safeguard the global economy.”

The G-20 groups Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

CR: KYODO NEWS