The Tokyo Metropolitan Government issued business closure orders — as opposed to closure requests — on Thursday to more than two dozen food establishments that failed or refused to comply with COVID-19 countermeasures, making Gov. Yuriko Koike the first to do so since a legal amendment to the country’s virus laws in February made it possible for noncompliant businesses to incur fines.
The move comes at a critical juncture in Japan, just days before the state of emergency in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area is lifted Monday and the legal authority given to local leaders to fine noncompliant businesses is rescinded.
Regardless of the political dynamics at play, experts say the juxtaposition of the capital’s move and the central government’s intention to reopen the last remaining areas under the emergency will surely confuse the public.