TOKYO – The city here reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus infections today, a new record, as local and government officials warned that a state of emergency may be needed to tackle spiking cases.
Japan’s Jiji news agency said Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has called emergency talks with ministers on the virus situation later today.
“We are still compiling precise figures today. It has been reported to me that it will be above 1,000 and reach somewhere around 1,300,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters.
“For the coronavirus, there is no year-end and no new year holiday. In this winter season, we are seeing the coronavirus spread, and it is an extremely serious situation.”
Japan has seen a comparatively limited outbreak compared to some parts of the world, with fewer than 3,500 deaths since it recorded its first case of Covid-19 in January.
It has also avoided the harsh lockdown measures used in some countries, though the government imposed a “state of emergency” in the spring, calling on businesses to close and asking people to stay at home.
That measure carried no penalty for non-compliance, and was lifted after several weeks when cases fell.
Infections stayed low during the summer, but in recent weeks, a spike has alarmed officials and medical professionals, prompting calls for a new state of emergency, which the government has been reluctant to implement for fear of the economic fallout.
If cases continue to rise, the city “may have no choice but to request” that the central government implement a new state of emergency, Koike warned yesterday.
Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the coronavirus response, also warned that a state of emergency will be needed to “protect the lives of the Japanese people” if infections continue to spike.
“The medical system will not be able to survive,” he said in a video message.
Suga, who took office this autumn after the resignation of Shinzo Abe, has been criticised for his government’s response to the third wave of infections, including backing a controversial programme promoting domestic travel.
The programme has been suspended over the new year, when many Japanese travel to visit family, and government officials have urged people to stay home to help suppress the new wave.
Medical professionals have for weeks been warning that the country’s healthcare system is stretched beyond capacity.
Earlier this week, former transport minister Yuichiro Hata became the first senior politician to die after contracting the virus. – AFP, December 31, 2020
