TOKYO – The Japanese government is considering a state of emergency for Tokyo and Osaka as the number of new Covid-19 cases soars, broadcaster NHK reported Wednesday, a move that could curb the prefecture to try to stop the spread of infections.
With thousands of new cases due to highly contagious strains of the virus, the government is expected to declare a state of emergency this week for the capital and Osaka prefecture, as well as neighboring Hyogo and Kyoto prefectures, some domestic media outlets say. reported.
If passed in all four regions, the emergency measures would affect nearly a quarter of Japan’s 126 million residents.
Japan has so far prevented the kind of explosive spread of the pandemic that has ravaged many Western countries, with a total number of cases so far at about 540,000 and a death toll of 9,707. But the latest surge in infections has raised the alarm, coming just three months before the scheduled start of the Tokyo Olympics and amid a slow roll-out of vaccinations.
On Wednesday, Tokyo reported 843 new infections, the highest number since January 29, when the previous state of emergency was in effect. The number of cases in Osaka has been higher than Tokyo in recent days, hitting a record 1,351 on April 13.
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Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is preparing to declare an emergency period from April 29 to May 9, which will include the annual “Golden Week” holiday period in Japan, Mainichi newspaper reported.
Osaka, the epicenter of a fourth wave of the pandemic, called for a new state of emergency on Tuesday, aiming to cancel or postpone all major events in order to restrict people’s movement.
Hyogo prefecture, home to the city of Kobe, reported a record 563 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and made its own state of emergency request official. Quasi-emergency measures have already been imposed in 10 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, including the Tokyo and Osaka areas.
The Kyoto prefecture government in western Japan is also preparing to request an emergency declaration, the Jiji news service reported.
New statements would mark Japan’s third full state of emergency since the start of the epidemic. The total economic loss from a new emergency in the three regions would be 1,156 trillion yen ($ 10.71 billion), the Nomura Research Institute said in a report.
Concerns about extensive lockdown measures – and the slow pace of vaccinations – spread to investors, with Japanese stocks trading sharply lower and the benchmark Nikkei index shedding 2%.
On Wednesday, the highest spokesman for the Japanese government, Katsunobu Kato, reiterated the government’s position that it would consider all requests for a state of emergency “swiftly” without working out a timetable.
Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc will sign a contract this month to supply an additional 50 million doses of vaccine to Japan in September, the Nikkei newspaper reported. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was in talks with Pfizer’s CEO last Saturday to secure more vaccine doses during a visit to the United States.
Together with existing contracts with Pfizer and Moderna Inc, whose COVID-19 vaccine is under review by domestic regulators, that would be enough for Japan’s entire adult population.
Government spokesman Kato declined to comment on the amount of extra Pfizer doses. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.