Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga apologized Wednesday in parliament after executives of the ruling coalition were reported to have visited hostess bars in Tokyo's Ginza district, defying a state of emergency that urges people to avoid unnecessary outings.

Jun Matsumoto, acting chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's Diet Affairs Committee, and Kiyohiko Toyama, acting secretary general of Komeito, both admitted visiting such bars last week.

The revelations come at a time when the government is considering extending the state of emergency, which also entails asking restaurants and bars to shorten their opening hours, by about a month from its current scheduled end on Feb. 7.