Japan PM to decide on state of emergency tomorrow

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he will make a decision tomorrow on a plan to declare another state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures as the areas continue to see record numbers of new coronavirus cases.

The government plans to keep the declaration in place for about one month, officials said, adding it is expected to take effect the following day.

“What the people want from the government and the ruling party is a sense of security and hope. We will put the coronavirus response first and work hard at it,” said Mr Suga at an executive meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party yesterday.

Mr Suga said in his New Year press conference on Monday that he would consider declaring a state of emergency covering the four prefectures as they account for about half of Japan’s 3,000 or so daily cases that are putting a strain on the medical system.

Tokyo reported more than 1,200 new coronavirus infections yesterday, with a record-high 111 Covid-19 patients in serious condition. It was the secondhighest figure for the capital, after 1,337 cases reported on Dec 31.

Mr Suga said he will consult health experts before making a final decision, adding he wants the members of an advisory panel to “set a direction”.

The government also plans to suspend the entry of businesspeople from some countries, including China and South Korea, as well as Taiwan, according to an official.

In late December, Japan suspended new entries into the country by nonresident foreign nationals arriving from most of the world through the end of January, while maintaining a special scheme to ease restrictions for business travelers and students from 10 Asian nations plus Taiwan.

That said, the government will not ask schools and universities to close even if a state of emergency is declared for Tokyo and the three neighbouring prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa, the education minister said yesterday.