The Tokyo metropolitan government intends to request that the central government declare another state of emergency in response to a resurgence in novel coronavirus cases.
On Saturday afternoon, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike was to meet with Yasutoshi Nishimura, the economic revitalization minister heading the government's coronavirus response, to make the request based on a special measures law against new strains of influenza.
According to sources, Tokyo was planning to make the request jointly with neighboring Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures, where the number of cases similarly increased. Although Tokyo, since the end of November, has requested that operators of restaurants and other businesses shorten their hours, the number of newly confirmed cases in the capital has been on the rise. On Thursday, the figure hit an all-time high of 1,337, a significant jump from the previous record. The number on Saturday was 814.
Given the situation, the metropolitan government has concluded that additional stricter measures from the central government are needed.
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