Japan plans to extend the state of emergency for about a month... "Serious situation continues"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Japanese government announced plans to extend the state of emergency, originally set to end on May 6, by about one month. This is interpreted as a recognition that lifting the state of emergency is difficult due to the continuous increase in confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to local Japanese media such as NHK, on the 29th, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated at the House of Councillors Budget Committee, "The number of new infections is still increasing, and it is a severe and difficult situation to say that the state of emergency will end on May 6," indicating that lifting the state of emergency is challenging. At the government expert meeting held that day, the dominant opinion was that the state of emergency period should be extended.

Additionally, at the nationwide governors' meeting held that day, governors from most regions, including Tokyo, requested an extension of the state of emergency period. It is reported that they expressed the opinion that the government should extend the state of emergency nationwide, as lifting it in some areas could lead to increased infections due to population movement.

Accordingly, the Japanese government has decided to extend the state of emergency nationwide by about one month and is currently making adjustments. On May 1, the government plans to hold an expert meeting to further analyze the trend of confirmed cases and the medical systems in each region, and to discuss future criteria for judgment, aiming to coordinate opinions regarding the state of emergency period.

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