Only around 37% of firms in the prefectures under Japan's current state of emergency have met the government's target of cutting commuters by 70% or more to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a business lobby survey has shown.
Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister in charge of the government's coronavirus response, held a remote meeting with leaders of the country's largest business lobby, Keidanren, which released the survey Friday, and other major business bodies. Nishimura requested they push members to more strongly promote teleworking to help meet the target.
Nishimura said the number of people commuting decreased by 40% in the Tokyo metropolitan area based on calculations of train passengers and 30% in prefectures in western Japan. He emphasized the importance of meeting the government's target so the state of emergency, scheduled to expire Feb. 7, will not have to be extended longer than necessary.