The governors of Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures -- Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa -- are coordinating to jointly ask the central government to extend the period of the coronavirus-related state of emergency, which covers the prefectures and is scheduled to end March 7, according to sources.
The governors plan to ask for an extension of another two weeks.
Concerning the declaration of the state of emergency, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said Tuesday that the decrease in infections "has not caught up with the scheduled number." She expressed a cautious stance regarding the lifting of the state of emergency on the scheduled date.
If the number of newly confirmed infections were to rise on March 3, Chiba Gov. Kensaku Morita said that "the situation would become very difficult."
The number of newly confirmed infections in Chiba Prefecture on Monday was 127, which was higher than Tokyo's figure on the day.
Kanagawa Gov. Yuji Kuroiwa said: "Looking at the whole of Tokyo and the three prefectures, some data were at Stage 4 levels. We may be unable to make the judgment until after watching the numbers until the last minute."
-- Suga aims for integrated judgment
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday he would make a decision on the lifting of the state of emergency after examining the infection situation of coronavirus variants.
"We have seen visible results, as the number of newly confirmed infections has dropped by over 80%," Suga said at a meeting of the House of Councillors Budget Committee.
"I'd like to make the final decision after closely listening to experts' opinions. It needs to be ensured that the further spread of infections will be prevented."
The government plans to hold a meeting of its expert advisory panel on basic policy measures on Friday, and make the final judgment over whether the state of emergency will be lifted.
Suga also said, "Tokyo and the three prefectures are connected in various ways," emphasizing that the judgment about the lifting of the state of emergency will be made seeing Tokyo and the three prefectures as an integrated area.
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