Japan could reimpose state of emergency in worst-case scenario

TOKYO — Japan is not in a situation now where it needs to declare another state of emergency over the coronavirus but could do so in a worst-case scenario, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday.

The capital Tokyo has sought to keep new cases below 20 a day since Japan lifted a state of emergency on May 25, but has had five straight days of more than 50 new cases as of Tuesday, when 54 infections were reported.

Still, Tokyo along with the rest of Japan has had a lower rate of infection than many countries. Japan has had nearly 19,000 diagnosed with 974 deaths.

By contrast, the United States saw new infections rise by more than 47,000 on Tuesday alone, the biggest one-day spike since the start of the pandemic. —

REUTERS VISITORS wait for the reopening of Tokyo Disneyland along with Tokyo DisneySea, which closed for months due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, at the entrance gate of Tokyo Disneyland in Urayasu, east of Tokyo, Japan, July 1.