As the restrictions on business operations were partially eased Tuesday under an extended state of emergency, department stores, large cinemas and amusement parks in Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture reopened after more than a month of closures.
Such businesses had complained of a severe impact after being requested to close partly or fully in late April when the current virus emergency was first introduced. The emergency declaration in Tokyo and nine other prefectures has been extended until June 20 after the government failed to lift it on Monday as scheduled earlier.
The government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga set new guidelines for businesses when it decided on the extension last week, aiming to strike a balance between curbing coronavirus infections and reviving the battered economy.