In an attempt to help combat the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated that as early as Tuesday, the nation will declare a state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures. Though the state of emergency is expected to last about a month, the Prime Minister stated that his government is preparing a stimulus package worth the equivalent of 990 billion United States dollars to help Japan economically in the pandemic.

As of now, just under 3,900 people have tested positive for the infection and at least 80 Covid-19 related deaths have been confirmed in the nation. Though Japan has a relatively smaller number of nationwide infections compared to other countries such as the United States of America, Spain, Iran, and Italy, the Tokyo prefecture has seen a recent surge in cases. There are not over 1,000 cases in the capital city, which is more than double the number of cases a week ago. Local health workers say they are concerned that if further preventative measures are not taken, the surge in cases could lead to a major outbreak in one of the world's largest cities.

While governors of prefectures will have the power to close schools and businesses, they will not have legal authority to order citizens to stay home. Prime Minister Abe states that for the time being, even under a state of emergency, "we will not close cities as seen in foreign countries".  

Note: Both photos used in this article are taken by myself. The statistics and numbers are from Japan's national broadcasting organization, NHK (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200404/k10012368271000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_002), alongside the Japanese Cabinet Secretary (https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/influenza/novel_coronavirus.html).