Japan may free more regions from emergency as new virus cases drop -Asahi
19/05/2020 09:15
By Sakura Murakami
TOKYO, May 19 (Reuters) - Japan may lift its state of
emergency in more regions this week as new coronavirus
infections drop, the Asahi newspaper said on Tuesday, moving to
resume sorely needed activity in the world's third-largest
economy, battered by containment measures.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe freed 39 of Japan's 47 prefectures
last week from a blanket state of emergency, while urging people
to adopt a "new lifestyle" of social distancing and guard
against a possible spike.
This week, the government could drop the western prefectures
of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo from the list of eight remaining ones,
while maintaining curbs on Hokkaido, Tokyo, and those around
them, the paper said, citing an anonymous government source.
Like other world leaders, Abe faces pressure to balance
protection of public health with avoiding the collapse of the
economy, which is facing its worst postwar slump.
First-quarter data on Monday showed Japan slipped into
recession for the first time in 4-1/2 years, as the virus
ravages businesses and consumers. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2CX16Y
With much of Japan now freed from the emergency, coffee
chain Starbucks SBUX.O re-opened about 850 stores on Tuesday,
including some offering only takeout in the prefectures still
under curbs. Among other businesses, Toho Cinemas said it would
reopen 23 more theatres on Friday.
The Japan Sumo Association is also exploring prospects of
resuming a summer tournament in July, it said, after cancelling
a tournament originally set to start on Sunday.
Its decisions would take into account the results of
antibody tests begun on Monday for members, including wrestlers
and referees, the association added.
The ancient Japanese sport has been hit especially hard by
the virus, with several organisation members testing positive,
as well as the death last week of a 28-year-old wrestler.
(Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus:
open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.)
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Coronavirus: knowns and unknowns https://reut.rs/2UHIgvz
FACTBOX-Latest on global spread of coronavirus
ID:nL8N2AB5TN
FACTBOX-Worldwide coronavirus deaths exceed 300,000
ID:nL4N2AY3AS
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
(Reporting by Sakura Murakami;
Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Clarence Fernandez)
((Sakura.Murakami@thomsonreuters.com))