February 3, 2021

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on February 2 at a press conference in the Diet building said that Prime Minister Suga should provide up-to-date information and financial support in order to alleviate people’s anxieties caused by the prolonged pandemic situation.

Koike made this remark when asked by reporters for a comment on PM Suga’s decision to extend the state of emergency.

Earlier on the day, PM Suga announced that the current COVID state of emergency, which is scheduled to expire on February 7, will be extended for another month until March 7 in ten prefectures (Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Aichi, Gifu, Kyoto, Hyogo, Osaka, and Fukuoka). In these areas, residents will be asked to refrain from non-essential outings, and food establishments will be requested to keep the 8 p.m. closing time.

At the press conference, Koike again stressed that in extending the state of emergency, the government should provide financial support enabling medical institutions to cover their losses in earnings, carry out an aggressive PCR testing strategy, and provide adequate compensation for business suspensions.

Regarding measures to compensate businesses impacted by the COVID emergency, Koike said, “As the government decided to extend the state of emergency, it should provide additional benefits to struggling business owners in order to support the continuity of their businesses. Furthermore, Koike referred to data of a major credit survey firm, Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd., which shows that the number of pandemic-triggered business failures topped 1,000 and that the restaurant sector made up the largest part of the 1,000 cases. He said, “The government should pay subsidies to restaurants that comply with its request to shorten business hours based on the scale of business operations.”

In addition, Koike pointed out that in Steering Committee meetings of both Houses of the Diet, PM Suga failed to explain why he decided to extend the emergency. Koike said, “PM Suga, in declaring the state of emergency last month, promised to ‘remedy the emergency situation within a month’. PM Suga should provide an explanation as to why he failed to fulfil his promise and make efforts to reduce anxieties of citizens in regions where the state of emergency is declared.”

Past related article:
> Shii comments on 2nd COVID state of emergency [January 8, 2021]