Coronavirus Response: Japan Nears State Of Emergency Declaration

Japan will soon declare a state of emergency in several regions in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 in major areas. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the press Monday that the declarations are planned to go into effect starting on Tuesday and will affect Tokyo and several other prefectures.

“We hope to declare a state of emergency as early as tomorrow after listening to the opinions of the advisory panel,” Abe said. “We are seeing rapid increases of new infections, particularly in urban areas such as Tokyo and Osaka. Considering that medical institutions are facing a critical situation, I have received opinions that the government should prepare to declare a state of emergency.”

The spread of coronavirus was slow early on in Japan, but recently, cases have started to surge in major cities like Tokyo, with young people being hit particularly hard. Abe had been reluctant to make major steps in response to the pandemic and was criticized by the likes of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and the Japan Medical Association.

“If you ask me if we can enforce a lockdown like France, the answer is no,” Abe said in a statement last week.

According to Johns Hopkins University, Japan has seen over 3,600 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far, with 85 reported deaths and 575 recoveries. On Sunday, Tokyo reported 148 new cases, followed by 83 on Monday. The majority of these cases were in citizens under the age of 50.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Japan has also committed 108 trillion yen ($989 billion) to help its economy whether the fallout of the virus. Abe announced the relief package on Monday, which accounts for roughly one-third of the countries annual output and includes handouts for families and businesses, tax breaks, and zero-interest loans.

Japan has the world’s third-largest economy behind the U.S. and China.