Japanese face "new normal" after coronavirus emergency lifted

Odakyu Electric Railway

26/05/2020 07:44

By Akiko Okamoto and Chang-Ran Kim
    TOKYO, May 26 (Reuters) - A day after Japan ended its state
of emergency, Tokyo residents took to the streets with a mixture
of relief and trepidation as they prepared for a "new normal" of
living with the coronavirus.
    Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted the state of emergency in
the capital and four remaining prefectures on Monday, claiming
victory for managing to keep total infections relatively low, at
about 16,600 cases.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2D60CM
    "I want to go out drinking and attend concerts," office
worker Daisuke Tominaga told Reuters in Shibuya, one of Tokyo's
busiest neighbourhoods.
    Unlike strict lockdowns in other countries, Japan did not
force businesses to close and some had reopened even before the
emergency was lifted.
    Still, its official end after some seven weeks saw many
people returning to work or heading out, while observing
social-distancing and wearing masks.
    Naoto Furuki, 45, said his morning commute had been more
crowded than usual, which was slightly unsettling.
    "I'm still a bit worried. There maybe a second wave of the
epidemic so we still need to be on alert," he said.
    Many children are set to go back to school next week under
precautionary measures such as staggered classes.
    Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has warned against complacency
and said everyone had to get used to a "new normal" of
teleworking and staggered commutes until a vaccine or treatment
is developed.
    Many companies said they would let staff keep working from
home, while railway operator Odakyu Electric Railway  9007.T 
said it would release usage data to help passengers avoid
crowded trains. 
    Electronics giant Sony Corp  6758.T  said it would only let
up to 30% of its workforce back to the office in June, while
Hitachi Ltd  6501.T  said it would aim for half of its work to
be done at home.
    "We won't go back to our previous working style," Hitachi
Executive Officer Hidenobu Nakahata told reporters. "We'll
accelerate new working practices, making working-from-home a new
standard."
    Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said the coronavirus
could change countries' industrial structure and people's
behaviour.
    "It may be hard for things to return to the ways before the
pandemic hit," he told parliament. 

 (Reporting by Akiko Okamoto, Chang-Ran Kim, Makiko Yamazaki and
Leika Kihara
Writing by Chang-Ran Kim
Editing by Robert Birsel)
 ((ran.kim@thomsonreuters.com; +81-3-4563-2740))