Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday sought to calm a nation upended by the coronavirus pandemic, vowing further steps to support health care infrastructure and seeking to placate concerns about newly enshrined powers to declare a state of emergency.

The nationally televised news conference from the Prime Minister's Office came a day after the Diet passed legislation enabling the declaration of a state of emergency if the number of COVID-19 patients surges exponentially.

Abe said the government does not have immediate plans to make such a declaration and said leaders would be mindful of the consequences.