Japan to declare state of emergency as COVID-19 cases surge

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to declare a state of emergency over the novel coronavirus outbreak in Japan, due to the recent surging COVID-19 cases in Tokyo and other large cities, government sources said on Monday.

The targeted cities and prefectures are Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka. The government plans the declaration will be put into effect from April 8 to May 6. If a state of emergency were to be declared by Abe, the government would have extended powers to instruct people to stay at home on a regional or national basis, issue closures to schools, and restrict the use of locations for mass gatherings.

On Sunday, 143 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Tokyo, a record daily high for the capital, bringing the total to 1,034, with Japan's health ministry and local governments adding that nationwide cases had risen to 3,531 as of Sunday afternoon.