TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday that the government is closely watching the spread of novel coronavirus infections in the western and southern prefectures of Osaka and Okinawa, respectively.

“We’re staying on alert while closely watching the situations in Osaka and Okinawa, as well as in Tokyo,” Abe said at a meeting of Liberal Democratic Party executives.

“We’ll proceed with balancing social and economic activities” and measures to curb infections, the prime minister also said.

LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida, meanwhile, said the party will consider extending a special measure on employment adjustment subsidies for companies that have paid leave allowances to their employees.

Amid the coronavirus epidemic, the maximum amount of the subsidies has been raised to 15,000 yen per employee a day. This measure will expire at the end of September.

JIJI Press