The government will soon decide whether the state of emergency declared in 10 prefectures due to the novel coronavirus can end on June 20 as scheduled. Some are wary that ending the state of emergency will lead to a resurgence of infections, and the government is determined to carefully assess the situation.
"The number of infection cases nationwide is on a downward trend," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Sunday afternoon in Cornwall, England -- early Monday Japan time -- where he was visiting for the Group of Seven summit meeting. "I would like to make a decision [on how to respond] while consulting with experts," he added.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said at a press conference on Monday, "If the decision is made on Friday, those involved will have to deal with the situation on Saturday and Sunday," indicating that the government task force will make an official decision on whether to end the state of emergency on Thursday.
The state of emergency is in effect for 10 prefectures: Hokkaido, Tokyo, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Okinawa. Of these prefectures, Okinawa is the only one where the number of newly infected people remains at Stage 4, the most serious stage according to government criteria.
Although there are some areas where the medical system remains under some pressure, every prefecture except Okinawa has reached a "level at which the state of emergency could end," according to a senior government official.
With the opening of the Tokyo Olympics just a month away, even if the government decides to end the state of emergency in Tokyo, among other prefectures, requests for restaurants to shorten their business hours are expected to continue. Within the government, there is a proposal to shift the state of emergency to emergency-level priority measures, which would allow prefectural governments to take measures similar to those in place under the state of emergency.
Meanwhile, based on the experience of the rapid spread of infections in Osaka after a previous state of emergency was lifted at the end of February, some in the government and the ruling parties are calling for the current state of emergency to be extended. Some experts and officials of the Tokyo metropolitan government are also cautious about ending it.
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