Coronavirus: Japan to declare state of emergency

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency against coronavirus this Tuesday, April 7 in seven regions of the archipelago, including Tokyo and Osaka, where cases have been on the rise for two weeks .

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" Tonight, I plan to assemble the government and declare a state of emergency " because the current situation " gravely affects people's lives and the economy, " Shinzo Abe told Parliament Tuesday, confirming his announcements the day before. The Prime Minister must then hold a press conference at 7:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. local time).

The state of emergency, with an initial duration of one month, will in particular allow the authorities of the regions concerned to ask residents to stay at home as much as possible, avoiding unnecessary trips, and certain businesses to decrease temporarily the curtain. Other regions may join the system later if the situation requires, warned Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on Tuesday.

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However, unlike other countries where mandatory confinements have been put in place, the Japanese system does not provide for coercive measures or sanctions for violators. Instead, the authorities rely mainly on the goodwill of citizens, who are also overwhelmingly in favor of the state of emergency, according to a survey by the private channel TBS published Monday.

The Covid-19 pandemic remains limited for the moment in the archipelago, but cases have been rising sharply for two weeks, raising fears of a saturation of hospitals, which prompted the government of Shinzo Abe to intensify its action. According to the latest report from the Japanese Ministry of Health, the country totaled more than 3,900 cases of infection since the start of the crisis on Monday, with 80 dead.

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The state of emergency is expected to inflict a further severe blow on the country's economy, while Tokyo and its large suburbs weigh around one third of the national gross domestic product (GDP). Shinzo Abe therefore also announced a record aid package of 108 trillion yen (915 billion euros) to counter the effects of the health crisis on Japanese businesses and households. This plan, which has yet to be formally approved by the government and the Parliament, will notably include financial allocations for the poorest households as well as for the small and medium-sized enterprises most affected by the crisis.