Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary: "No Immediate Need to Declare a State of Emergency Regarding COVID-19"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] As the Japanese government prepared a legal basis on the 10th to declare a state of emergency in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, stated, "It is not a situation to declare a state of emergency immediately."

According to NHK, Secretary Suga said this at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting on the same day. He said, "From the perspective of crisis management, it is always important to assume the worst-case scenario and respond in advance," adding, "To minimize the impact on the lives of the people, we judged that it was necessary to organize the legal framework such as declaring a state of emergency, and decided to proceed with legislative measures."

He continued, "When declaring a state of emergency, it is stipulated that the government must report to the National Diet," emphasizing, "Regarding the declaration, careful judgment must be made considering the impact on the lives of the people."

Earlier, the Japanese government approved the amendment to the 'Special Measures Act on Pandemic Influenza and New Infectious Diseases Preparedness and Response' at the Cabinet meeting held in the morning. According to this bill, if an infectious disease spreads nationwide and has a serious impact on the lives of the people and the economy, the government can declare a state of emergency. When a state of emergency is declared, governors of Japan's local governments, called Todofuken, can request people to refrain from going out and close schools.

NHK reported that the bill is expected to be deliberated by the House of Representatives on the 11th, passed by the House of Councillors plenary session on the 13th, and adjusted to be enforced on the 14th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.