Japan Extends COVID-19 State of Emergency Until the End of This Month (Update)

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] The Japanese government has decided to extend the state of emergency declared nationwide in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) until the 31st of this month.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced this on the afternoon of the 4th during a COVID-19 task force meeting held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.

Earlier, Prime Minister Abe declared a state of emergency on the 7th of last month targeting seven prefectures including Tokyo due to the rapid increase in COVID-19 confirmed cases. As the spread of COVID-19 did not subside, the state of emergency was expanded nationwide on the 16th of the same month.

The nationwide state of emergency was originally scheduled to last until the 6th of this month, but the deadline was extended to the end of the month on this day.

Following the declaration of the state of emergency, requests and orders were issued across the Japanese archipelago to refrain from going out and to close entertainment facilities.

Excluding 712 passengers aboard the cruise ship "Diamond Princess," Japan's cumulative number of COVID-19 confirmed cases surged from 4,457 at midnight on the 8th of last month to 15,078 at midnight on the 4th, according to NHK statistics.

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