Japanese automaker Mazda has requested a loan of 300 billion yen ($ 2.8 billion) from three large banks in Japan following losses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, TASS reported referring to Nikkei.

The automaker's sales volume in February this year decreased by 14%, in March - by 33%. On March 24, Mazda suspended several of its plants in Japan, Mexico, and Thailand due to a drop in demand for the automaker's products.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan exceeded 16.4 thousand, while 270 infected were in serious condition, 637 deaths were recorded.