Workers in hospitality, tourism and other industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as parents have appealed to the government for more financial and other support, after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe extended the nationwide state of emergency on Monday by over three weeks.
"Unless (the government) offers sufficient compensation and legally enforces business closures, we are left in limbo," said Yoshihiko Kitamura, 40, who has been forced to cut the business hours at his Italian restaurant in Susukino, a major entertainment district in Hokkaido. “I wonder if our voices are heard at all,” he added.
Hokkaido, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka and eight other prefectures are being kept under close monitoring by the government after Abe extended the nationwide state of emergency, initially effective through Wednesday, until the end of May.