Japan extends coronavirus emergency to Sept 30

[TOKYO] Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga extended the coronavirus emergency for Tokyo and large parts of the country to Sept 30 as high levels of Delta variant infections strain the medical system.

Mr Suga prolonged the state of emergency in 19 areas including Tokyo and Osaka that had been set to end on Sunday. The move came as the government looks to ease up on restrictions in the coming weeks if numbers start turning in the right direction.

Mr Suga said on Thursday that the government would use vaccination certificates and test results to help ease restrictions. He added that the certification systems would help ease the way for a normalisation of economic activities, helping eateries and other establishments hurt by the current curbs.

Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told an advisory panel earlier in the day: "If the number of new infections continues to fall at the current rate and we bolster the health care system, the strains on medical care are expected to ease greatly by the end of the month."

Kyodo News said restrictions on large-scale events may be loosened. The government also plans to shorten its Covid-19 quarantine period for vaccinated people entering Japan to 10 days from 14 days, the Nikkei newspaper said.

The extension of the measures comes about a week after Mr Suga announced his resignation following a drop in public support as he struggled to contain a record surge in cases. His replacement faces the tricky task of balancing efforts to rein in the virus against the need to support the economy and chart a way forward for normalising activity.

"The emergency extension just means status quo, and won't have much of an impact," said Taro Saito, director of economic research at NLI Research Institute. "I don't think we'll be able to return to economic normalcy unless we accept infections to a degree."

BLOOMBERG