Japan’s Abe warns of ‘protracted battle against virus’

Tokyo: Japan will likely extend the nationwide state of emergency until the end of May at the earliest as the nation continues to grapple with containing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, government sources said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly told Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, that he was almost certainly going to extend the state of emergency past May 6.