Coronavirus State of Emergency in Japan

Japan entered a second state of emergency due to the coronavirus in January with the Tokyo region declaring a state of emergency to curb a surge in coronaviruses cases. Ten other prefectures soon followed suit with the current state of emergency set to end on February 7^th.

The eleven prefectures are Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Tochigi, Aichi, Gifu, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Fukuoka.

The restrictions include asking restaurants and bars to close by 8 p.m., requesting that businesses ask their employees to work remotely where possible, and urging people to refrain from nonessential outings at all times, but especially after 8 p.m.

The spread of infections in Japan rapidly increased just after the oshogatsu New Year period. A holiday period where people traditionally return to their hometowns to spend time with their family.

The Japanese government is currently discussing the state of emergency and may extend it for up to another month in Tokyo and other areas that continue to see a high number of infections. The areas which look like extending the state of emergency are Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka.  

Okinawa Prefecture may also be added to the list. The remote islands of Okinawa have seen a spread of the virus in recent times.

Daily infections have begun to fall across Japan, but the medical system remains under intense strain.

The Japanese government plans to make a decision about whether to lift the state of emergency next week.

Inbound travel to Japan remains off limits for now. The Japanese government is putting a road plan in place for the return of international tourism to Japan. This could possibly happen in April 2021, with limited small group tours allowed into the country.

The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are still planned to go ahead, but could be held without spectators. It is difficult to see regular tourism returning to Japan before autumn 2021 at the earliest. 

Image: NHK World