- ARAB NEWS
- 01 May 2025
Since 1975
The Japanese government is considering extending the coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka and seven other prefectures, currently set to expire May 31, health minister Norihisa Tamura said Tuesday.
“We’ll make a final decision based on views of experts, of course keeping in mind a possible extension,” Tamura told a press conference.
The number of new coronavirus cases “has begun to fall nationwide,” Tamura said. “But infections haven’t subsided enough in some areas.”
He added that the daily number of coronavirus cases needs to fall below 500 continuously in Tokyo and 300 in the western prefecture of Osaka.
Tamura said that a decision to lift the state of emergency will be made after the coronavirus situation improves to Stage 3, the second-worst level on the country’s four-tier coronavirus alert system, and then close to Stage 2.
JIJI Press
