Dissatisfied with the government "Mr. Koike's mismanagement" The prime minister "must do" ... Sudden change due to request for declaration

At a press conference on the 4th, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced that he would consider issuing a state of emergency due to the spread of the new coronavirus, and complained about the "insufficient measures" in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The government has been enthusiastic about avoiding the issuance of the declaration, which has a great economic impact, but decided that the issuance was unavoidable without the cooperation of the city.

　"The results have been obtained in prefectures that have shortened the time, such as Hokkaido and Osaka."

　At a press conference on the 4th, the prime minister explained that the number of newly infected people with the new corona is declining in local governments that are requesting restaurants to shorten business hours more severely, and the metropolitan area "does not decrease" with the sword returned It is at a high level. " I felt that the situation would have changed if the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and others took appropriate measures.

　The prime minister remained cautious about issuing a state of emergency at a press conference on the 25th of last month. Under the hood, he was considering issuing a declaration, but he declined to answer when asked by reporters about the possibility of issuing a declaration on the 31st. Another senior government official said the immediate announcement was "a complete mistake" as of the morning of the 2nd of this month.

　Just before that, the governors of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, and other governors of Tokyo and three prefectures requested the government to issue a declaration on the afternoon of the 2nd. Mr. Koike is becoming more vulnerable to the tight medical system in Tokyo, and the Prime Minister has also reported that the medical field is in a difficult situation. Then, on the evening of the 3rd, the ministers in charge were gathered at the Prime Minister's Office, and after receiving a report for about 30 minutes, the Prime Minister announced.

　"I think I have to do it."

　Prefectural governments have the authority to request time reductions from restaurants. In Tokyo, the infection spread without requesting "until 8:00 pm" because the backlash from restaurants could have an adverse effect, and the government was forced to dispose of it. Around the prime minister, he complained, "I didn't do it even though I should have closed the restaurant at 8 pm. It was Mr. Koike's mismanagement." (Yasushi Sugimoto, Tsuneya Senda)

Source: https://www.sankei.com/politics/news/210104/plt2101040038-n1.html