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Nintendo: Coronavirus delays Switch production, shipment in Japan

The company's CEO said the delays are 'unavoidable' since the devices are manufactured in China.

TOKYO, Japan — Nintendo, the electronics and video game company, said it's experiencing delays in production and shipping Switch consoles in Japan due to the new fast-spreading coronavirus.

The CEO Shuntaro Furukawa said last week that the delayed shipments are now "unavoidable." The devices are manufactured in China.

The company added that the shipments of the currently out-of-stock "Ring Fit Adventure" are expected to be delayed too.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause," the company said in a statement. "We will work hard to deliver the product as soon as possible, while keeping an eye on the effects of the new coronavirus infection, and we look forward to your understanding."

The virus, officially called 2019-nCov - which stands for 2019 Novel Coronavirus - is rapidly spreading throughout China from Wuhan and has shown up in several countries outside China, including the United States.

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Nintendo isn't the only business impacted by the virus. Hyundai also announced it has shut down all car factories in South Korea after its supply chain was disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak in China.

RELATED: Hyundai halts South Korea production lines after coronavirus causes parts shortage

The Associated Press reported that as of Wednesday, China said deaths from the new coronavirus rose by 73 to 563. The number of confirmed cases jumped by 3,694 to 28,018.

On January 31, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency over the global outbreak of the illness. The Director General of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the main reason for the declaration is not because of what's happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries.

RELATED: Chinese baby tests positive for coronavirus just 30 hours after birth

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