Japan's economic recovery could be hampered if the spread of COVID-19 variants is not curbed, the OECD said Friday, amid growing concerns over the new omicron coronavirus variant.
In its latest report on Japan's economic and financial situation, the OECD noted that "losing the race against new variants could result in renewed states of emergency being declared delaying the recovery," despite progress in the government's vaccine rollouts.
Highlighting such risks in the world's third-largest economy as "sizeable," the Paris-based club of 38 mostly wealthy nations said the omicron variant could "aggravate" the employment prospects of young people after graduating.