The current COVID-19 emergency in Tokyo and other areas could be extended by up to one month beyond its planned Sept. 12 end date to allow the next prime minister to decide when the measures should end, government sources have said.
The government is eyeing an extension of at least two weeks, having deemed the strain on the healthcare system not to have eased enough to lift restrictions on business activity.
But with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's impending resignation, the emergency declaration could be extended by about one month to allow his successor as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, to be chosen Sept. 29, to decide when to end the measure, the sources said Monday.