Commuters in front of Shinjuku Station head to work on Jan. 8, the day after a new state of emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic was declared for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures. (Hiroyuki Yamamoto)
Commuters packed Tokyo trains on Jan. 8 despite Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s plea the previous day for people to reduce travel to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suga, declaring a state of emergency on Jan. 7 for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, asked that up to 70 percent of company employees work from home until Feb. 7, when the emergency is set to expire.
But the morning commute on Jan. 8 in the capital showed scant signs of any change from the day before.