Japan Expands Emergency Declaration to 11 Areas... Korea and China Also Suspend 'Business Track' (Update)

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Japan's state of emergency for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) was expanded and declared on the 13th.

According to Kyodo News and others, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced at the COVID-19 task force meeting held that day that a state of emergency would be additionally declared for seven prefectures including Osaka. With this, the areas under the state of emergency expanded to 11 out of the 47 prefectures nationwide.

The state of emergency was first declared in four metropolitan prefectures in the Tokyo metropolitan area including Tokyo, Saitama·Kanagawa·and Chiba, and on the 13th, it was additionally declared in seven prefectures including Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Gifu, Aichi, Fukuoka, and Tochigi.

Earlier, when the state of emergency was first enforced on the 8th in the four metropolitan prefectures including Tokyo, Prime Minister Suga was initially negative about declaring the state of emergency due to concerns it would dampen economic recovery. However, as confirmed cases sharply increased and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and others publicly demanded the declaration, the state of emergency was declared. Subsequently, heads of local governments in areas without the state of emergency repeatedly requested additional declarations, and as the Japanese government accepted these requests, the target areas significantly increased.

The Japanese government plans to suspend the 'Business Track' travel, which is exceptionally recognized for 11 countries and regions including South Korea and China, until the state of emergency is lifted. Accordingly, entry of foreigners into Japan will be basically blocked for the time being.

The Japanese government plans to end the state of emergency on the 7th of next month. However, since the additional declaration of the state of emergency indicates that the increase in confirmed cases is not being controlled, it is expected to be difficult to end it as planned on the 7th of next month. At the time of last year's state of emergency declaration, the number of new daily confirmed cases was around 368, but the state of emergency lasted for 49 days.

There are also views that the red light has been turned on for holding the Tokyo Olympics, postponed to July this year, as scheduled. The future trend of infection spread and the effects of vaccines, which will soon begin to be administered, are expected to be variables.

According to NHK, Japan's cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 298,884 as of the previous day. Including only the confirmed cases identified on the 13th, the cumulative total has already exceeded 300,000.