Japan Extends COVID-19 State of Emergency Again... Effective Until One Month Before Olympics

Emergency State Extended Until the 20th of Next Month for 9 Areas Including Tokyo
Spread Not Subsiding Due to Variant Virus Influx... Opposition to Hosting May Grow Stronger

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga
Photo by AP News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] This summer, ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the COVID-19 state of emergency declared in the Tokyo area and other regions of Japan has been extended once again.

On the 28th, the Japanese government held a COVID-19 task force meeting chaired by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and decided to extend the state of emergency, which was in effect until the end of this month in nine prefectures including Tokyo, until June 20.

In the areas under the state of emergency, existing infection prevention measures such as requests for restaurants serving alcoholic beverages to close, and the closure or restricted operating hours (until 8 p.m.) of large commercial facilities will continue to be enforced.

Prime Minister Suga explained the reason for extending the state of emergency, saying, "Although the number of infections nationwide has been declining since mid-May, some regions are experiencing increases, making the situation difficult to predict."

Previously, from April 25, the Japanese government declared the third state of emergency for 17 days in four regions including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo to strengthen COVID-19 prevention measures.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

However, due to the spread of variant viruses, new infections have not decreased, increasing the risk of healthcare system collapse. Therefore, the state of emergency was extended until the end of this month, adding five more regions: Hokkaido, Hiroshima, Okayama, Fukuoka, and Aichi.

From May 23, Okinawa Prefecture was newly included, and the state of emergency period for Okinawa was set until June 20.

With this re-extension decision, the third state of emergency measures will have been applied for 57 days based on Tokyo.

The target date for lifting the state of emergency set by the Japanese government, June 20, is about a month before the opening day of the Tokyo Olympics on July 23.

Accordingly, there are expectations that if the COVID-19 situation does not improve even after the state of emergency is lifted as scheduled next month, public opposition to holding the Tokyo Olympics may spread further.

Protest Against Hosting the Tokyo Olympics
Photo by EPA Yonhap News

As of the previous day (27th), the average daily number of new infections in Japan over one week was 4,229, showing a slight decrease compared to 4,674 on April 25, when the current (third) state of emergency was declared.

However, in Tokyo, more than 80% of new infections are identified as being caused by the UK variant virus, which is more contagious, raising concerns among health authorities.

The influx of the India variant virus, known to be about 1.5 times more infectious than the UK variant, is considered a factor that further endangers Japan's COVID-19 situation. In Japan, 160 cases of the India variant have been confirmed at airport quarantine, and 29 cases have been identified in seven regions including Tokyo.

Japanese experts warn that simply extending the state of emergency without introducing new, drastic measures will not be able to prevent the resurgence of COVID-19.

Previously, Japan's first COVID-19 state of emergency was declared in April last year in seven metropolitan areas including Tokyo and was lifted after 49 days. Then, the second state of emergency was declared in January this year in 14 metropolitan areas including the capital region, lasting up to 73 days depending on the region.

Meanwhile, on the day before the extension decision, the 27th, a total of 4,140 new infections were reported nationwide, including 684 in Tokyo.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

As of that day, the total number of confirmed cases was 735,496, with cumulative deaths increasing by 111 in one day to 12,751. The number of severe cases receiving treatment such as mechanical ventilation was counted at 1,371.

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