COVID-19: Japan to Declare State of Emergency

Abe will announce the plan as soon as Monday, with the formal declaration for the Tokyo area coming as early as Tuesday, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, without attribution. Osaka is also likely to be included, while Hyogo, Saitama and Hokkaido prefectures are under consideration, according to Kyodo News and other media reports. Japan’s biggest-ever stimulus package worth 60 trillion yen (US$550 billion) may also be announced on Tuesday.

Abe is expected to call a meeting of his advisory panel on the virus before announcing the decision. The state of emergency will be issued for specific areas and a time period will be set.

Abe’s government saw its approval rating slip to its lowest since Oct 2018 in a poll from broadcaster JNN released on Monday with a majority of respondents faulting the way the government has managed the virus crisis. The poll taken on April 4-5 showed that about 80 per cent of respondents said the declaration should be made, Bloomberg reported.

While Abe’s government has said the country is on the brink of an explosive surge, it has resisted calls to declare an emergency. The governors of Tokyo and Osaka have been pushing for the declaration as the recent spike in cases sparked concerns Japan is headed for a crisis on the levels seen in the US and several countries in Europe.

Declaring a state of emergency hands powers to local governments, including to urge residents to stay at home. By contrast with some other countries though, there is no legal power to enforce such requests due to civil liberties protections in Japanese law.

While Japan was one of the first countries outside of the original epicentre in neighboring China to confirm a coronavirus infection, it has fared better than most, with about 3,150 reported cases as of Monday – a jump from less than 500 just a month ago. That’s the lowest tally of any Group of Seven country, although Japan might be finding fewer mild cases because it has conducted a relatively small number of tests.

Last week, the US Embassy in Tokyo advised American citizens to return home, saying Japan’s low testing rate makes it hard to accurately assess the prevalence of the virus. The Japan Medical Association warned last week that the jump in cases in the nation’s most populous cities is putting more pressure on medical resources and that the government should declare a state of emergency.

Tokyo reported 143 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, its largest single day tally. It marked the second straight day the city’s daily infection tally exceeded 100.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is already pressing residents to avoid unnecessary outings, and television showed many of the capital’s main shopping areas almost deserted over the weekend. The Tokyo local government is set to begin leasing hotels this week to accommodate mild cases, to make room in its hospitals for the seriously ill.

Abe told parliament on Friday that the situation didn’t yet warrant an emergency declaration, but said he wouldn’t hesitate to take the step if the time comes.