TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2020) There is no need to go ahead with the state of emergency in Japan, and the government is looking to lift it in Tokyo and four other prefectures where it is still in force due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Economic Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Monday.
The statement was made at a COVID-19 advisory panel.
"After analyzing and evaluating the extent of infection and other factors, we think all prefectures no longer need to be under a state of emergency. We would like to discuss lifting the measures for the last remaining areas," Nishimura told the panel, as quoted by the NHK broadcaster.
The minister added that the government would reassess the situation every three weeks to gradually ease coronavirus-related restrictions.
The government declared the emergency on April 7 for Tokyo and six neighboring prefectures and later expanded it to cover the entire country. Earlier in the month, the authorities lifted the restrictions in 42 out of 47 prefectures. To date, the state of emergency is effective only in Tokyo, its neighboring prefectures of Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa, as well as the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.
Japan has so far confirmed over 16,500 COVID-19 cases, including more than 800 related deaths.
