Tokyo Calls for Release of “State of Emergency”! Japanese Government Considers 2 Main Reasons for Disagreement | Global | NOWnews Today News

Japan’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic continues to spread. Yesterday (2) there were 3,059 confirmed cases in the country, of which 814 cases were concentrated in Tokyo, establishing the second highest number of new cases in a single day on Saturday. Nearby Kanagawa Prefecture (382 cases), Saitama Prefecture (213 cases), and Chiba Prefecture (236 cases) also have high numbers of newly diagnosed cases. The governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, and the governors of the prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba urged the central government to consider the possibility of reissuing the “Declaration of Emergency” (state of emergency). However, the central government has little confidence in the efficacy of the declaration in preventing epidemics and is concerned about the impact on the economy. Since the publication of the state of emergency, it is more intentional to amend the law to increase the penalty.

According to Japanese media reports, the Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, the Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture, Yuji Kuroiwa, the Governor of Saitama Prefecture, Motohiro Ono, the Governor of Chiba Prefecture, Kensaku Morita, and the Minister of Economic Regeneration, Yasuo Nishimura, announced again on Saturday (2) local time. The debate on the “Declaration of an emergency situation” lasted more than 3 hours. However, the Japanese central government questioned the effectiveness of the state of emergency and worried about the possible economic impact, so Nishimura was cautious and would listen to the opinions of experts before making modifications. According to the “NHK”, to curb the spread of the epidemic, Nishimura considered requiring local governments to cooperate with measures to prevent the epidemic, shortening the store’s business hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the Metropolitan Government of Tokyo must strengthen measures to reduce crowds. Government experts noted that the central government is unhappy with local epidemic prevention policies and criticized that “(Tokyo) does nothing. Even if a state of emergency is declared, the situation will not change.”

The Japanese media described the “temperature difference” between the prime minister and the governor in preventing epidemics. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s national polls on December 20 support only 39%, and nearly 80% (79%) of those polled believe the government stopped too late. The “Go To Travel” plan to revitalize the travel industry domestic tourism, 70% of the people believe that Yoshihide Suga has not demonstrated the leadership he deserves in preventing epidemics. If the central government agrees to the emergency request of the Tokyo governor and others, it amounts to indirectly admitting that the central government’s epidemic prevention policy has failed, and it will be another blow to Suga Yoshihide.

However, the question of preventing the epidemic is imminent. The declaration of the state of emergency has yet to be amended to ensure the implementation of the epidemic prevention policy. The Japanese Diet has scheduled a meeting on January 18 to promote the amendment of the special measures law. Additional sanctions are for those who do not cooperate with the epidemic prevention measures, such as reducing business hours and suspending activities. Store, expect to complete the review by the end of January.

※ 【NOWnews Today News】 reminds you:
In response to the new corona pneumonia epidemic, the Department of Disease Control has continued to strengthen epidemic surveillance and border control measures. If you have a fever, cough and other symptoms after entering the country, call “1922“Dedicated line, or”0800-001922“And wear a mask as instructed to seek medical treatment as soon as possible, while proactively reporting travel history and contact history to the doctor to facilitate timely diagnosis and notification.