Japan's Daily Cases Surpass 20,000 Again... "Companies May Temporarily Close"

Over 20,000 Cases for 6 Consecutive Days... First Breakthrough on Sunday with Fewer Tests
Possibility of Considering Corporate Shutdown Measures Emerges

On the 12th, pedestrians are passing by the intersection in front of Shibuya Station in Tokyo. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Japan has exceeded 20,000 for six consecutive days. As a result, the Japanese government may consider measures such as temporarily closing businesses.

According to NHK's tally as of 7:30 PM on the 22nd, the total number of new COVID-19 cases across Japan was 22,285. This marks the sixth consecutive day that new cases have surpassed 20,000. It is the first time that the number has exceeded 20,000 on a Sunday. Compared to a week ago, the cases have surged by more than 50%.

Among the 47 prefectures nationwide, Tokyo alone reported 4,392 new cases. Despite it being a weekend with fewer tests conducted, this is the largest number of cases recorded on a Sunday.

With this, Japan's cumulative number of confirmed cases has risen to 1,306,097. Among them, the number of severe cases reached 1,891, setting a new record for ten consecutive days. Due to the rapid increase in new cases, hospital beds are in short supply, and it is estimated that more than 100,000 patients are recuperating at home. The death toll increased by 24, reaching 15,651.

The Japanese government, having already expanded the state of emergency?the highest level of quarantine measures under current law?has not seen the spread of COVID-19 subside and is now considering new measures.

The National Governors' Association, composed of the heads of all 47 prefectures, held an online meeting on the 20th and requested the central government to consider strict measures such as a "city lockdown" to reduce population movement. Given that the effectiveness of the state of emergency has become clearly minimal due to the highly contagious Delta variant, they argue that strict measures like lockdowns to limit crowds on the streets are necessary.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, Minister for Economic Revitalization in charge of Japan's COVID-19 response, appeared on NHK's current affairs program "Sunday Debate" on the 22nd and stated that they are reviewing ways to strengthen quarantine measures under current laws. He referenced the response during last year's and this year's Golden Week holidays in April and May, when companies took holidays, suggesting that requesting businesses to temporarily close could also be considered.

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