Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga. (Image via Asia Times)

Japan considers extending the state of emergency

As Japan is watching the growth in the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-10), the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, and his ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, are considering the necessity to extend the state of emergency for the major prefectures of the country.

Being implemented in Japan until 7 February, the state of emergency might be extended until the end of February. Under the state of emergency, the Japanese people are asked to refrain from going outside except for essential reasons, and restaurants and bars are also required to shorten their business hours.

Next week, the Japanese Government is going to consult the health experts regarding the increasing COVID-19 cases in prefectures put under the state of emergency (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Tochigi, Aichi, Gifu, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Fukuoka), the impact it inflicted on the healthcare, and whether the extension is necessary.

Japan's Minister of Economic Revitalization and also in charge of COVID-19 response, Yasutoshi Nishimura, stated at a parliamentary meeting on Tuesday that the Japanese Government will not delay to immediately announce the decision so that the decision can be implemented quickly in the problematic prefectures. Suga himself also admitted that Japanese healthcare is not prepared to deal with the surge in COVID-19 cases, regretting that more lives would have been preserved had proper treatment been available.

When being grilled by the opposition in the meeting of the House of Representatives' Budget Committee regarding the COVID-19 patients who were shunned away by the hospitals and died at home, Suga stated that he felt responsible and was terribly sorry for it. While it is rare for Suga to admit it, Suga's administration's support continues to decrease as the Japanese people are unhappy with Suga's tardy response to the COVID-19.

Source: https://bit.ly/3iO18oq