TOKYO – Japan’s government will declare a coronavirus state of emergency in the greater Tokyo area today, as media said the capital would again report a record daily number of infections.
The new month-long restrictions will be far less strict than the harsh lockdowns seen in other parts of the world, and softer than even Japan’s first state of emergency last spring.
They will primarily target restaurants and bars, which are being asked to stop serving alcohol by 7pm and close an hour later, with residents also requested to avoid non-essential outings after 8pm.
Businesses in Tokyo and three surrounding areas that petitioned the government to make the move will be urged to maximise teleworking, with the goal of reducing commuter traffic by 70%.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to officially announce the measures late today, but the minister in charge of Japan’s pandemic response outlined the expected shape of the declaration, warning that Tokyo's medical system was “stretched thin”.
“Every day we are seeing record numbers of infections. We have a very serious sense of crisis,” Yasutoshi Nishimura said.
Local media said Tokyo would see more than 2,400 new cases on Thursday, shattering the previous record of 1,591 logged a day earlier.
Still, Japan’s outbreak remains comparatively small, with just over 3,700 deaths since the country’s first infection was detected in January 2020.
The government had been reluctant to call a state of emergency for fear of sending the economy into reverse shortly after it emerged from recession. Greater Tokyo accounts for a third of Japan’s GDP.
“A contraction of GDP in Q1 is inevitable” with the new measure, said Masamichi Adachi, Japan chief economist at UBS Securities.
“Balancing economic and public health concerns is difficult. It’s a very difficult situation to manage for any leader.” – AFP, January 7, 2021
