NHK




 

Japan's central government and the Tokyo metropolitan government are discussing which businesses should be asked to temporarily shut down following the state of emergency declaration over the coronavirus outbreak.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo declared a state of emergency for Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures on Tuesday, based on a revised law enacted last month.

Abe appealed to the public to cooperate in curbing the spread of the coronavirus, saying the country will make it out of the emergency in a month if they do so.

The central government is urging people in the seven prefectures to stay home to reduce person-to-person contact by 70 to 80 percent.

On Wednesday, the minister in charge of coronavirus measures, Nishimura Yasutoshi, sought cooperation from the prefectural governors in a teleconference.

The Tokyo metropolitan government wants to ask more types of businesses, such as DIY stores and barbershops, to close while the declaration is in effect.

But the central government wants the shutdown requests to be carefully considered and limited to be maximally effective in controlling the outbreak while keeping society operating smoothly.