April 7, 2020

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo on April 6 at a news conference in the Prime Minister's Office announced that the government is preparing to declare a state of emergency following the sharp rise in the number of people infected with the new coronavirus in major cities.

PM Abe will declare a state of emergency covering Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka after consulting with the anti-corona experts' panel and giving an explanation to the Diet. The declaration is expected to last about one month.

PM Abe told the press that Japan will not enforce a "lockdown" like some U.S. and European cities and will maintain as much economic and social activities as possible. Accordingly, public transportation will continue operations.

After this announcement, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira held a press conference in the Diet building and said, "We demand that the government provide a full explanation about the reason, purpose, and concrete measures associated with the declaration of a state of emergency. If convinced, the JCP will extend necessary cooperation in order to prevent an explosive surge of COVID-19 infections."

Koike said that a detailed explanation of what will happen next should be given to the general public, adding, "It is especially important for the people to understand that the declaring of a state of emergency in Japan is not a lockdown like some European cities, and that public transportation, grocery stores, drugstores, medical facilities, and all other essential services will remain open." He also said, "A flood of panicked shoppers and an exodus of urbanites to rural areas must be prevented in advance as these actions may spread cases of infections."

In addition, he stressed the need to offer compensation to people to make up for potential losses caused by specific measures taken under the declaration of a state of emergency.

Koike added, "The JCP will caution against any potential abuses of restrictions affecting fundamental human rights."