TOKYO - The Japanese government said that they would consider declaring a state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area as cases of Crown infection continue to increase. This raises new doubts whether the country can still host the 2021 Olympics and minimize economic damage.
Japan recorded a record 4,520 new cases as of December 31. This condition prompted Tokyo and three other prefectures to urge the central government to declare a state of emergency.
Citing a government source, Kyodo News reported that preparations are being made for a state of emergency which will take effect on January 9 and last about a month. Tokyo and the three surrounding prefectures may separately ask residents to refrain from making non-essential and non-urgent travel from Friday to the end of this month.
The Economy Minister, Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is in charge of countering the Coronavirus, said the government will aim to make a decision "as quickly as possible" after hearing what experts have to say.
The emergency declaration will mark a change in the attitude of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who has resisted such a drastic move despite criticism the government is acting too slowly.
Suga, at a press conference in Tokyo, explained why he might agree to the declaration of a state of emergency. He said one reason was that there was no sign of a decline in coronavirus cases in the Tokyo area and the three surrounding prefectures.
"Even during the three days of the New Year holidays, cases did not go down in the greater Tokyo area. We felt we needed a stronger message," Suga's individualized structure, as reported by Reuters on Monday (4/1/2021)
However, Suga did not say when the government would make a decision, or what restrictions would follow. The first state of emergency, declared last spring, lasted more than a month, forcing schools and non-essential businesses to close.
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