The central government will decide Thursday when it plans to declare a state of emergency in parts of the greater Tokyo metropolitan area, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday during an executive meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The numbers of new COVID-19 cases reported each day have increased more than tenfold since a state of emergency was previously declared, by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in April of last year.
Eight months later, experts say it’s no longer clear the public will comply to the same degree, nor is it certain the government has the financial strength to support businesses that voluntarily close.