A woman sits near the logo of Sony Corp. in Tokyo Thursday, April 30, 2015. LONDON -- Two big Japanese companies are the latest to pull out of a major European technology show due to fears over the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
"As we place the utmost importance on the safety and well-being of our customers, partners, media and employees, we have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from exhibiting and participating," Sony said. He noted that while the companies that have pulled out are among the show's biggest exhibitors, they're only a handful of the 2,800 taking part.
Last week, Swedish equipment maker Ericsson, one of the show's biggest exhibitors , dropped out, along with South Korean electronics giant LG and graphics chip maker Nvidia. China's ZTE, meanwhile, scaled back by dropping its press conference.
Computer virus jokes coming in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...