Owners of restaurants and bars in Tokyo, as well as Kyoto and Okinawa prefectures have expressed concerns after their areas were added by the government to the list of regions subject to stricter anti-virus measures.
Amid a sharp rebound in infections, the governors of Tokyo and the two prefectures were on Friday granted the authority to order establishments serving food and alcohol in targeted areas to close by 8 p.m. and impose fines of up to ¥200,000 ($1,800) for noncompliance.
"The atmosphere usually starts to warm up around 8 p.m. but we have to close the door by then," said a 26-year-old manager of a Japanese-style izakaya pub near the capital's bustling JR Ikebukuro Station.