Japan’s Stance Against Emergency Appears to Shift as Cases Soar

Crowds at the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo on Dec. 30.Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Japan’s stance against declaring another state of emergency appears to be shifting, as coronavirus infections fueled by the onset of cold weather showed no signs of abating even after the country stepped up containment measures.

Tokyo’s metropolitan government is considering a request to the central government to declare a state of emergency, national broadaster NHK reported, without citing how it obtained the information. On Wednesday, Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of Japan’s coronavirus response, said the country could consider an emergencyBloomberg Terminal if infections continue at the current rate.