Japan Issues COVID-19 State Of Emergency For Tokyo As Infections Rise

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Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday, where he declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and neighboring prefectures amid a new surge in COVID-19 cases.





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Suga may also be concerned, the Kyodo News Agency and other Japanese media point out, that declaring a state of emergency will sap public confidence in holding the Tokyo Olympics, which are scheduled to begin in less than 200 days, after being rescheduled from last summer.

A recent opinion poll by public broadcaster NHK found about a third of respondents were in favor of cancelling the games, up 9% since a similar poll in October.

Chie Kobayashi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

• COVID-19


• Japan