Sony Corp., Honda Motor Co. and other major companies in Japan are cancelling or postponing their spring initiation ceremonies for new recruits in response to the government's call to avoid mass gatherings to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

Sony scrapped a plan to hold a ceremony at its Tokyo headquarters for around 900 new recruits and instead plans to show them an online video message from its president and CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida.

(An initiation ceremony for new employees of Toyota Motor Corp. in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture on April 1, 2019.)

Honda and ANA Holdings Inc., parent of All Nippon Airways Co., also cancelled their ceremonies for new employees, while Toshiba Corp. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc. decided to hold ceremonies online.

Other companies such as retail chain Aeon Co. and internet mall operator Rakuten Inc. will put off their welcome events.

Events to welcome new recruits hired straight from university or high school are usually held April 1, the start of the new fiscal year in Japan.

"We would like to consider holding the event when things calm down as we monitor the situation," a Rakuten spokesperson said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked organizers of big sport and cultural events in late February to consider cancelling or postponing them, saying the next two weeks or so would be "critical" in determining whether the pneumonia-causing virus would spread further.

In Japan, more than 1,100 cases have been confirmed, including nearly 700 from the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that was quarantined near Tokyo, and at least 12 people have died. Japan became the fifth country to top 1,000 infections after China, South Korea, Iran and Italy.

The virus, which originated in China in December, has now spread globally, infecting more than 98,000 people and killing more than 3,300.

Some Japanese companies are also reviewing their training programs for new hires, which usually follow initiation ceremonies.

Sony said it halted a planned week-long training event from April 1 and is now considering alternative plans.

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. abandoned a plan to hold a three-day event involving an initiation ceremony and training in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. The company will instead hold ceremonies and training sessions separately at local offices.