Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday he expects to decide whether to extend the state of emergency covering Tokyo and other parts of Japan struggling to stem the spread of the coronavirus several days before it is set to end on Feb. 7.
Speaking at a parliamentary committee, Suga said the timing of the decision had to strike the right balance — too early, and health experts would not be able to examine the latest data, too late, and people would be caught off guard.
The comments came as a growing number of people in his administration and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party believe an extension is inevitable.