The Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, urged the Japanese Government to declare a state of emergency as soon as possible. (Image via Nikkei Asian Review)

Koike urges Abe to declare a state of emergency

Speaking on Friday, the Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, urged the Japanese government to declare a state of emergency in order to prevent the surge in the number of positive cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. She said that the declaration would send a “strong message”.

If the government declares a state of emergency, the regional governments will be able to ask people to stay home and business to close.

All along, the Japanese government is struggling to limit people’s mobility to suppress positive cases. However, no declaration of a state of emergency is heard. The government fears that the state of emergency would damage Japan as the world’s third-biggest economy which is already close to recession.

The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, ordered all Japanese residents to remain indoors unless for essential purposes while the government is preparing to roll out an economic stimulus plan next week. Yuriko pointed out that the economic blow could be prevented if the Japanese government couples the state of emergency with an economic stimulus package.

However, when to declare a state of emergency is another matter. If issued too soon, the impact will be serious to the economy. Too late, and the cases will increase.

Currently, the Land of the Rising Sun has been spared from seeing an explosive surge in the number of cases such as happening in Europe, the U.S, and elsewhere.

Source: https://bit.ly/2xOMZDU