When it comes to declaring a state of emergency in Japan, having the authority to do so is one thing and using the power another.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is making that clear as he hesitates to take the step despite alarm at rapid increases in coronavirus infections in urban areas like Tokyo and Osaka.
"If necessary, I won't hesitate to declare a state of emergency," Abe said in a parliamentary session Friday. But at the same time he said he does not believe infections have yet spread widely enough nationwide.