Japan extends virus emergency, months before delayed Olympics

TOKYO: Japan’s government approved a month-long extension of its coronavirus state of emergency on Tuesday, less than six months before the pandemic postponed Olympic Games open in Tokyo.

“We have decided to extend the state of emergency until March 7th,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said at a meeting of the taskforce guiding the government’s pandemic policy.

The extension will apply to 10 of the 11 areas currently under the measure, including greater Tokyo, which had been due to end on Feb 7, but not in Tochigi, north of the capital, where cases are judged to have dropped sufficiently.

Japan’s virus emergency is significantly looser than the lockdowns seen elsewhere in the world, and primarily calls for increased teleworking and the closure of bars and restaurants from 8pm.

Legislation currently working its way through parliament would add enforcement measures including fines for businesses that do not close early.

But even the comparatively relaxed approach appears to have yielded results, with new infections dropping across the country. Still, after facing criticism for its initial reluctance to impose the measure, the government has been cautious about lifting it too quickly.

“Since the declaration of the state of emergency last month, the number of coronavirus patients in Japan is declining and we can say this measure focusing on shorter hours at restaurants has clearly been effective,” Suga said. “We need to continue with this downward trend and decrease the number of hospitalised patients and patients in serious condition.”

Japan’s coronavirus outbreak has been comparatively small nationwide, with around 5,800 deaths overall.

But its healthcare system has become increasingly overburdened, and public support for both the initial imposition of the emergency, and Tuesday’s extension, is strong.