TOKYO – The Japanese government is considering a state of emergency for Tokyo and Osaka, as the number of Covid-19 cases increases, NHK reported on Wednesday, a move that would allow prefectural authorities to impose curbs to try to stop the spread of infections.
With thousands of new cases resulting from highly infectious strains of the virus, the government is expected to declare a state of emergency this week for the capital and Osaka prefecture, as well as for the vicinity of Hyogo and the latter’s Kyoto prefectures. internal mass information. reported.
If adopted in all four regions, the emergency measures would cover almost a quarter of Japan’s 126 million population.
Japan has so far avoided the kind of explosive spread of the pandemic that has affected many Western countries, with a total number of cases of about 540,000 and a death toll of 9,707. But the latest rise in infections has raised alarm, which came just three months before the planned start of the Tokyo Olympics and amid a slow launch of vaccinations.
On Wednesday, Tokyo reported 843 new infections, the highest since January 29, when its previous state of emergency was in effect. The number of cases in Osaka has surpassed those in Tokyo in recent days, reaching a record 1,351 on April 13.
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Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is preparing to call for an emergency period to be declared between April 29 and May 9, including Japan’s annual “Golden Week” holiday, the Mainichi newspaper reported.
Osaka, the epicenter of a fourth wave of the pandemic, on Tuesday called for a renewed state of emergency, trying to cancel or postpone all major events to restrict human movement.
Hyogo Prefecture, which hosts Kobe, reported a record 563 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and formalized its own state of emergency request. Near-emergency measures have already been imposed in 10 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka.
The government of Kyoto prefecture in western Japan is also preparing to request an emergency declaration, Jiji news service reported.
The new statements would mark the third complete state of emergency in Japan since the epidemic began. The total economic loss due to a renewed emergency in the three regions would be 1.156 trillion yen ($ 10.71 billion), the Nomura Research Institute said in a report.
Concerns about widespread blocking measures – and the slow pace of vaccinations – have spread among investors, with Japanese stocks trading sharply and the Nikkei benchmark losing 2%.
On Wednesday, Japanese government spokesman Katsunobu Kato reiterated the government’s position that it would consider any requests for a declaration of a state of emergency “quickly” without setting a deadline.
Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc. will sign a contract this month to supply another 50 million doses of vaccine to Japan by September, the Nikkei newspaper reported. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was in talks with CEO Pfizer last Saturday to secure several doses of vaccine during a visit to the United States.
Together with the existing contracts with Pfizer and Moderna Inc., whose COVID-19 vaccine is being reviewed by domestic regulators, this would be sufficient for the entire adult population of Japan.
Government spokesman Kato declined to comment on the amount of additional doses of Pfizer. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.