[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Kyodo News reported on the 24th that 41 new positive cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) were confirmed in Japan. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Japan to 16,572. This figure excludes confirmed cases among passengers and crew of the cruise ship Diamond Princess.
Along with this, the number of COVID-19 deaths in Japan increased by 15 on the same day, reaching a total of 853. Among the deaths, 9 were recorded in Tokyo, 2 in Hokkaido, and 1 each in Kanagawa, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government will hold meetings of the COVID-19 advisory committee and the task force on the 25th to decide whether to lift the state of emergency in the Tokyo metropolitan area including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, and Hokkaido. Japanese media such as Kyodo News and NHK report that the policy to lift the state of emergency in the five prefectures where the declaration is still in effect has been solidified. If decided by the task force, Prime Minister Abe is expected to hold a press conference to explain the details of the lifting and the future response plan. If this happens, it will mark the lifting of the COVID-19 state of emergency across all of Japan after 48 days since it was first declared.
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