Japan declares state of emergency over coronavirus

TOKYO: Japan on Tuesday declared a month-long state of emergency over a spike in coronavirus cases, ramping up efforts to contain infections but stopping short of the strict lockdowns seen in other parts of the world.

The government has come under mounting pressure to tackle an outbreak that remains small by global standards but has raised concerns among Japanese medical experts, with warnings that local healthcare systems are already overstretched.

Announcing the measures, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged the Japanese people to draw on the sense of togetherness seen after the country's devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown in 2011.

"We are again facing a great difficulty. However, if we work together once again with hope, we will rise to the challenge and move forward," he said. "We will beat the virus, we will defeat the virus and we can overcome the ordeal of this state of emergency."

The move allows governors in seven affected regions including Tokyo to ask people to stay indoors and request that businesses close, but there are no enforcement mechanisms and no penalties for those who fail to comply.

"Although a state of emergency is declared, it won´t mean a city lockdown as seen overseas," Abe said, pledging public transport would run as normal and roads would not be blocked. But he urged people to take the declaration seriously, telling citizens "everything will depend on your actions."

And he warned that people would have to reduce contacts by 70-80 percent if the emergency was to be lifted in a month. Pressure to declare an emergency grew after several days of record new infections in Tokyo, though the numbers are far smaller than in many parts of the world, with around 80 cases reported on Tuesday.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has already asked residents to avoid unnecessary outings and work from home, but had pushed for an emergency declaration to give her requests legal strength.