Japan partially lifts Covid-19 restrictions
(VOVWORLD) - Japan has decided to end a Covid-19 state of emergency in most of the country, aiming at a gradual lift in restrictions to help revive its battered economy and manufacturing industry and sustain demand for energy and metals.
Premier Shinzo Abe announced the decision to lift the state of emergency on Thursday for 39 out of the 47 prefectures where the number of new Covid-19 cases has significantly fallen. The decision is expected to be formalised by a government task force later today. The 39 prefectures include five of those previously designated as high-risk areas, including Aichi — where Nagoya is located — and nearby Gifu and Ishikawa and Fukuoka on Kyushu island. Earlier this month Japan extended the state of emergency until the 30 of May, which started on 8 April in some regions and was later expanded to cover the entire country.
Abe said the government has decided to continue the strict emergency measures in eight high-risk prefectures, such as Tokyo and its three neighbouring prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama; Osaka and its nearby Hyogo and Kyoto, along with northern Japan's Hokkaido.