Japan PM Abe to decide Monday on 1-month extension to virus emergency

10:38, 2 May 2020

TOKYO. KAZINFORM - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday he is seeking to extend the nationwide state of emergency imposed over the coronavirus epidemic by about a month, after a government panel of experts recommended that the current measures be maintained for a while, Kyodo reports.

«I will ask experts to thoroughly examine each region's situation and up-to-date data on infections and listen to their opinions before making my final decision on May 4,» Abe told reporters at his office.

Abe said he had instructed economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura to make necessary preparations with an extension of one month to the state of emergency as a baseline.

Abe is scheduled to hold a press conference on Monday after a formal decision is made. The state of emergency is currently set to expire Wednesday, the last day of the Golden Week holidays in Japan.

The expert panel met Friday to assess the latest situation, a day after Abe suggested an extension was in the offing, saying that returning to normalcy was still difficult.

The members judged that the number of new daily infections is trending downward but the pace of decline is not as fast as had been expected.

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