Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on Wednesday for sports and cultural events to be scrapped or curtailed for two weeks, as coronavirus spread heightens concerns the contagion might scupper the summer Tokyo Olympics. 

Abe's call came as Tokyo's baseball league said it would hold games without spectators until March 15. 

"Taking into account that the next one to two weeks are extremely important in stopping the spread of infection, the government considers there to be a large risk of transmission at sports, cultural events and large gatherings of people," Abe said in parliament. 

Earlier on Wednesday the minister in charge of the Olympics sought to quell fears the event could be cancelled. 

"We have not thought about it. We have not heard about it. We have made inquiries, and we were told there is no such plan," Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto told reporters. 

"Our basic thinking is to conduct the Olympics and Paralympics as planned. That's our assumption." 

Last week Tokyo postponed training for Olympic volunteers, and Toshiro Muto, chief executive of the organizing committee, said the torch relay scheduled to begin March 26 in Fukushima and travel across the country would not be cancelled, though he acknowledged adjustments might be necessary. 

The shadow over the Olympics grew as advertising giant Dentsu Group Inc, which is deeply involved in the Games, told employees to work at home after an infection at its Tokyo headquarters. 

Its shares hit a seven-year low amid the Games concerns. 

(With input from agencies)