Japan is set this week to revise a law allowing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to dec...
TOKYO - Japan is set this week to revise a law allowing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a formal state of emergency over the coronavirus, if needed, as Abe faces persistent criticism for his handling of the outbreak ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Japan more than 1,000 cases of the virus including about 700 from a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo last month. Fourteen people have died, including seven from the liner. The virus has spread rapidly around the world, with more than 100,000 confirmed cases and 3,600 deaths. Speculation - denied by organizers - is swirling that the global outbreak will scupper Japan’s dream of hosting the Tokyo Olympics, an outcome that could become more likely if a state of emergency is declared.
The 2012 law was enacted while Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party was in opposition. Officials have said it could not be applied to the coronavirus without changes, although opposition parties and other critics say reinterpreting it is enough.The law would let the prime minister declare an official state of emergency if the disease poses a “grave danger” to lives and if its rapid spread could have a huge impact on the economy.
Abe has already requested that schools nationwide close and large-scale events be pared back or canceled.
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