• May 05, 2020
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Japan’s state of emergency extended to 31 May

New infections have prompted the Japanese government to extend its nationwide state of emergency until the end of May. The state of emergency was initially set to expire on 6 May, the last day of the country’s Golden Week holiday period.

“I will extend the state of emergency I declared on 7 April to 31 May. All prefectures are subject to it and there is no change to the emergency framework,” announced Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a government task force meeting.

Abe stressed that the battle against the virus may be protracted. “The one-month period is designed for us to prepare for the next step and put an end to the state of emergency,” he noted. The leader had previously laid the groundwork for the extension and noted that a return to normalcy would not happen anytime soon.

The prime minister also again urged the public to avoid crossing prefectural borders as much as possible. He also reiterated the call to reduce person-to-person contact by 80% in 13 prefectures that require “special caution,” such as Osaka and Tokyo.

Japan’s extension of the state of emergency aims to relieve some pressure on the country’s medical system, which has been stretched thin following a rise in new infections. Economic activity has practically ceased too, with the business closure and stay-at-home requests from the emergency declaration. Economic revitalisation minister Yasutoshi Nishimura noted that the new cases show a downward trend, although it is not declining as fast as the country had hoped for.

The state of emergency shall remain in force nationwide, but current restrictions on both economic and social activities will be gradually eased in prefectures where the infection rate is low. Parks, museums, and libraries are likely to open throughout the country provided that preventive steps against COVID-19 infection are taken.

Japan has reported over 15,000 coronavirus cases with at least 550 deaths.