Ahead of the Olympics, Japan Faces Major COVID-19 Surge... Third State of Emergency Expected to Be Declared

New COVID-19 Cases: Osaka 1,153, Tokyo 712

On the 14th, the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower in Minato Ward, Tokyo, Japan, were illuminated with Olympic colors to celebrate "Tokyo Olympics D-100." [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] As Japan experiences the fourth wave of COVID-19, a third state of emergency is expected to be declared.

According to local Japanese media on the 20th, the governor of Osaka Prefecture held a COVID-19 task force meeting and decided to request the government to declare a state of emergency.

Since the 5th, Osaka Prefecture has been under "Priority Measures to Prevent Spread" (hereinafter referred to as Priority Measures), which is the stage before a state of emergency declaration, but the spread of COVID-19 has not been contained. The average daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Osaka Prefecture over the past week was 1,106, which is 1.3 times that of the previous week. On this day, Osaka Prefecture reported 1,153 new confirmed cases.

The number of severe patients has exceeded the number of secured hospital beds, increasing pressure on the medical system. The Japanese government plans to hold a meeting of relevant ministers in the evening to discuss the response to Osaka Prefecture's request for a state of emergency declaration.

Tokyo Metropolis, the capital of Japan, is also considering requesting the government to declare a state of emergency sometime this week. Tokyo plans to hold a meeting on the 22nd with infectious disease experts to decide whether to request a state of emergency declaration. On this day, Tokyo reported 712 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. If a state of emergency is declared in Tokyo this time, it will be the third one.

With only about three months left until the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, if a state of emergency is declared in the host city Tokyo, including measures such as refraining from going out and shortening restaurant business hours, skepticism about the Olympics may increase. Therefore, the Japanese government is likely to take a cautious stance on declaring a state of emergency in Tokyo.

However, there are also opinions that COVID-19 spread must be suppressed now to hold the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on July 23. If COVID-19 spreads uncontrollably during the upcoming large Japanese holiday, "Golden Week," early next month, there is a possibility that Japan will have no choice but to abandon hosting the Olympics.