Japanese Government Extends State of Emergency... Local Governments Ease Quarantine Measures

On the 28th, pedestrians wearing masks are walking through a shopping street in Nagoya, central Japan. (Photo by Kyodo/AP=Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As the Japanese government extended the deadline for the state of emergency in nine prefectures, including Tokyo, from the end of this month to June 20, local governments such as Tokyo Metropolis and Osaka Prefecture have decided to ease quarantine measures related to the state of emergency.

According to foreign media including the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 30th, Tokyo Metropolis decided to replace the previous closure requests for movie theaters, art galleries, and museums during the extended state of emergency period with shortened business hours. In addition, large commercial facilities such as department stores, which were originally requested to close, will be allowed to operate until 8 p.m. on weekdays only.

Since the third state of emergency was declared on the 25th of last month, Tokyo Metropolis had requested large commercial facilities with a total floor area of 1,000㎡ or more to close in principle, excluding stores selling daily necessities.

Osaka Prefecture also plans to allow large commercial facilities to open until 8 p.m. on weekdays only. Weekday openings of movie theaters and art galleries will be permitted on the condition that operating hours are reduced. For sports events and theme parks, starting from the 1st of next month, events or operations will be allowed under the conditions of limiting weekday visitors to 5,000 or fewer and within 50% of capacity.

In Japan, the state of emergency related to epidemic prevention is declared by the Prime Minister, the head of the central government, based on requests from the heads of prefectural governments according to a special law. In regions where the state of emergency is in effect, various quarantine measures such as refraining from going out, shortening business hours, and closure requests can be implemented according to relevant laws. The implementing authority is the head of the prefectural government. Therefore, the level of restrictions may vary depending on the judgment of each regional head.

The decision by Tokyo Metropolis and Osaka Prefecture to partially ease quarantine regulations is analyzed as a consideration of the growing dissatisfaction among private business operators due to repeated declarations and extensions of the state of emergency. However, it is expected to spark controversy as it may reduce the effectiveness of the extended state of emergency and weaken the vigilance of residents in the affected areas regarding COVID-19 prevention.

Earlier, on the 28th, the Japanese government decided to extend the COVID-19 state of emergency, which had been in effect until the end of this month in nine prefectures nationwide including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Hokkaido, Hiroshima, Okayama, Fukuoka, and Aichi, until June 20. Existing infection prevention measures, such as requests for closure of restaurants serving alcoholic beverages, will continue to be implemented by each local government in the declared areas.