In a response to a question in Japan's parliament, Seiko Hashimoto said Tokyo's contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) "calls for the Games to be held within 2020".

She added that "could be interpreted as allowing a postponement".

The Games are due to be held from 24 July to 9 August.

"We are doing all we can to ensure that the Games go ahead as planned," Hashimoto added.

Under the hosting agreement the right to cancel the Games remains with the IOC.

IOC president Thomas Bach says his organisation remains "very confident with regard the success" of the Games in Tokyo.

"I would like to encourage all the athletes to continue their preparations with great confidence and full steam," added the German.

A number of high-profile sporting events have already been cancelled or postponed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, including the World Athletics Indoor Athletics Championships and the Chinese Grand Prix, which was scheduled for 19 April.

Coronavirus, which originated in China, has spread to more than 60 countries and claimed more than 3,000 lives so far.

The IOC executive board met in Lausanne, Switzerland on Tuesday and in a statement "expressed its full commitment to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 taking place from 24 July to 9 August".

It said a "joint task force" was started in mid-February, involving the IOC, Tokyo 2020 organisers, the host city of Tokyo, the government of Japan and the World Health Organization.

The executive board added that it "appreciates and supports the measures being taken, which constitute an important part of Tokyo's plans to host safe and secure Games".

"We will continue to support the athletes and their NOCs with regular updates of information, which we will provide," Bach added

A photo exhibition showcasing the natural landscape, culture and tradition of Mongolia as well as presentations on Mongolia’s history and social and economic state were held during the event. Moreover, Mongolian students in Cuba delivered cultural performance for the Cuban audience at the event.

The event was also attended by representatives from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina.

Cuba established diplomatic relations with Mongolia on 7 December 1960, becoming the first country from the South America to establish diplomatic ties with Mongolia.

The Commission also decided to lift the suspension of traffic movements between Ulaanbaatar and 21 provinces on March 3 at 6 a.m. and deploy over 130 more officials of emergency, specialized inspection, and health care services including medical teams of the National Center for Communicable Diseases at seven entrance and exit points of Ulaanbaatar.

From March 2-30, the Mongolian citizens arriving from South Korea, Japan, Iran and Italy, those travelling across Russia, will use the Buyant-Ukhaa, Sukhbaatar, and Altanbulag border checkpoints only.

The average weighted interest rate of newly disbursed mortgage loans decreased by 1.0 percentage points from the previous year.

In February, 2020, the BoM branches in Darkhan-Uul and Bayankhongor aimags bought 16 kg and 18 kg respectively. The average value of BoM’s purchase of 1 gram of gold was MNT 140,292.94 in February, 2020.

At the meeting, it was decided to lift the suspension of traffic movements between Ulaanbaatar and 21 aimags on March 3 at 6 a.m. and deploy over 130 more officials of emergency, specialized inspection, and health care services including medical teams of the National Center for Communicable Diseases at seven entrance and exit points of Ulaanbaatar.

As it is estimated that more than 40 thousand citizens by around 14 thousand vehicles will come back to the capital city after the suspension is lifted, the Commission plans to set up local first aid posts every 50 km along state highways to prevent possible accidents.

It was also decided to export coal in sealed containers through Zamyn-Uud border checkpoint; increase the number of beds at quarantine facilities by 250 in total as a precautionary measure; suspend flights on Ulaanbaatar - Irkutsk - Ulaanbaatar and Ulaanbaatar - Ulan-Ude - Ulaanbaatar routes from March 2 to March 11; ban entry to foreign nationals who have traveled to South Korea, Japan, Italy, and Iran within the last 14 days; allow Mongolians to return from South Korea and Japan through Buyant-Ukhaa, Sukhbaatar, and Altanbulag border checkpoints only; and put Mongolians coming from the abovementioned four countries in 14-day quarantine upon arrival;

“The project will promote income and employment generation in rural areas,” said ADB Senior Natural Resources Economist Jan Hinrichs. “This will be achieved by diversifying traditional low-value grain crops into high-value vegetables.”

Agriculture has become a priority for growth in Mongolia, in line with the government’s focus to accelerate economic diversification and job creation. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood in rural areas, but is not sufficiently diversified and relies heavily on imports for vegetables and fodder. In 2008–2016, only about half of the country’s vegetable demand was met by domestic production. Meanwhile, the country’s irrigation systems are recognized as having low water productivity and lacking resilience to severe droughts and floods.

The project aims to install efficient and climate-resilient irrigation infrastructure and management systems, improve sustainability of agriculture production systems, and strengthen technical, institutional, and management capacity and coordination.

Specifically, the project will upgrade, modernize, and climate-proof 12 selected schemes along with directly associated infrastructure to provide irrigation services for 7,000 hectares of land. A total of 3,458 households are expected to benefit, including 1,041 poor households.

The project design introduces innovative features such as high-efficiency irrigation technology in cold regions, summer and winter greenhouses, and an easy-to-use asset management system with remote-sensing technology. Such technology will help detect irrigation performance and resolve problems immediately.

The total cost of the project is $46.25 million, of which ADB is providing a concessional loan of $25.3 million and a regular loan of $14.7 million. The government will provide $4.25 million towards the project cost.

ADB will administer a $2 million cofinancing grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), which has supported projects in Mongolia in poverty alleviation, improving livelihoods, and safeguarding the environment over the past 20 years. JPFR is funded by the Government of Japan.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.