A new strain of a pneumonia-causing virus has spread nationwide. It is the responsibility of the government to put a brake on this situation.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with the leaders of opposition parties and asked them for their cooperation in making necessary legislative arrangements regarding the spread of the disease. The meetings focused on revising a special measures law on new types of influenza, which was enacted in 2012, so that the new coronavirus can be dealt with under the law for up to two years.
The move is designed to prepare for a more critical spread of the infection.
The current special measures law allows the government to strengthen its administrative authority to take thorough measures against infectious diseases. It targets new strains of influenza and unknown "new infections."
During the meeting, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Edano insisted that the government could deal with the disease without revising the law. But the government takes the stance that it is difficult to apply the current law because the pathogen has been identified. Abe said after the meeting, "Another step of the legal framework needs to be established."
The special measures law has heavy provisions that restrict people's freedom of action. The government apparently decided that the new coronavirus should be specified in the law to make the fact widely known.
In order for the central and local governments to take thorough measures in times of crisis, it is essential to establish a legal footing and obtain public understanding. The government needs to carefully explain the significance of the law revision. With the cooperation of opposition parties, the bill to revise the law should be passed into law promptly.
Use law with care
Most provisions of the current law are expected to be included in the revision bill.
If the government judges that the spread of an infectious disease would have impacts such as seriously affecting people's lives, the prime minister will declare a state of emergency, specifying the period and areas of the spread.
Based on the declaration, prefectural governors will be able to ask people to refrain from going out on nonessential and nonurgent occasions and halt the use of facilities that attract large numbers of people, such as schools and movie theaters.
Governors are also allowed to establish provisional medical facilities in buildings without the consent of the building owners. It is also possible to expropriate drugs and other goods if business operators do not accept the request to sell them.
If a state of emergency is declared and governors take strict measures, residents' lives and the local economy will be greatly affected.
The central and local governments should closely cooperate with each other and use the revision law cautiously so that excessive restrictions are not imposed. It is appropriate to limit compulsory measures to the shortest period possible and extend them as necessary.
In operating the revision law, it is also important to reflect detailed analysis by doctors and other experts on infectious diseases.
Even after the issuance of the declaration of a state of emergency, the prime minister should properly explain to the public the state of infection spread in regions and the prospects of lifting the declaration.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 6, 2020)
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