Japan urged its citizens on Wednesday to stay home, as media reports warned that as many as 400,000 of them could die of the coronavirus without urgent action, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came under pressure to hand out more cash.
People wearing protective face masks walk on the street after the government announced state of emergency for the capital and some prefectures following the coronavirus disease outbreak at Sugamo district, an area popular among the Japanese elderly, in Tokyo, Japan April 15, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Japan has seen an accelerating infection rate in recent weeks, particularly in Tokyo. The government has responded by declaring an emergency in Tokyo and six other areas including Osaka, and a goal to cut interactions between people by 70 percent. “I’ve urged the prime minister to make a decision and send a strong message of solidarity to the public,” Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of the Komeito party, the junior partner in the ruling coalition, told reporters after meeting Abe.
Japan said on Wednesday that the number of foreign visitors in March plummeted by 93 percent compared to last year. Abe has identified tourism as an economic growth driver.
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