Japan Extends COVID-19 State of Emergency Until the End of This Month

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The Japanese government plans to extend the deadline for the state of emergency declared in Tokyo and three other prefectures until the end of this month, from the original deadline of the 11th. The areas subject to the state of emergency are also expected to be expanded.

According to NHK on the 7th, the Japanese government plans to hold a government task force meeting in the afternoon to discuss this plan.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga discussed response measures with Economic Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and others the previous day, and plans to extend the deadline for the state of emergency currently declared in four metropolitan areas?Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo?by three weeks until the 31st of this month. Additionally, Aichi Prefecture and Fukuoka Prefecture will be added to the areas under the state of emergency.

The state of emergency declaration mainly calls for refraining from going out, closure of large commercial facilities and restaurants serving alcoholic beverages, and a recommendation to reduce commuting workers by 70%. However, considering the economic impact, it is reported that some measures such as the closure of large facilities like department stores and the principle of no spectators at sports events are being reviewed for relaxation in this extension plan.

Attention is focused on whether Tokyo, the host city of the Tokyo Olympics opening on July 23, will be included in the state of emergency extension. The Kansai region’s three metropolitan areas?Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo?where the medical care system is under severe pressure, are highly likely to have the state of emergency extended.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has mentioned the necessity of extending the state of emergency, saying, "The situation remains quite difficult."

Meanwhile, as of 0:00 on the 7th, Japan reported 4,375 new COVID-19 cases. Although the daily number of confirmed cases, which once approached 6,000, appears to have decreased, this is considered an optical illusion because the number of tests conducted has also decreased. According to Asahi Shimbun, the average daily number of tests in Japan last month was 64,457, but from the 1st to the 4th of this month, it dropped by about 30% to 44,118.