The Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Monday entered phase two of its three-part plan to progressively lift social distancing measures and voluntary business closures.
In phase two, shutdown requests for movie theaters, gyms, department stores and other entertainment venues with no history of cluster infections were lifted, and the limit for mass gatherings was capped at 100 people for indoor events and 200 for those held outside.
Gov. Yuriko Koike said the capital will proceed cautiously based on virus data gathered over two-week increments. However, given that barely a week has passed since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe completely lifted the state of emergency, some experts are questioning whether Tokyo is moving too fast.