Japan Emergency Declaration May Expand to Osaka and Others... Possible Issuance as Early as the 13th

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is wearing a mask after finishing a press conference related to COVID-19 at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on December 25 last year. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] The Japanese government is reportedly considering expanding the state of emergency for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), which was issued in some areas of the metropolitan area, to western Japan’s central region including Osaka Prefecture.

On the 11th, Kyodo News, citing Japanese government and ruling party officials, reported that the Japanese government is discussing a plan to declare a state of emergency under the "Special Measures Act on New Influenza, etc." as early as the 13th for three metropolitan governments in the Kansai region: Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, and Hyogo Prefecture.

Currently, the state of emergency has been declared in four metropolitan governments in the metropolitan area: Tokyo Metropolis, Saitama, Kanagawa, and Chiba Prefectures.

If the scope of the declaration is expanded to include Osaka and others, the number of regions under the state of emergency will increase to seven out of the 47 metropolitan governments nationwide.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga appeared on NHK the previous day and said regarding whether to declare a state of emergency in Osaka and other areas, "We need to observe the situation for a few more days," but also stated, "I am aware that it is an urgent situation. We are prepared to respond immediately if necessary."

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