Japan to lift COVID-19 quasi-emergency in 3 prefectures
The Japanese government plans to lift the COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency in three prefectures after this weekend as scheduled as infections are declining, officials said Wednesday. We will consult with experts and make a decision regarding Gunma, Ishikawa and Kumamoto as early as tomorrow as we continue to watch the situation with a strong sense of caution, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Manabu Sakai told a press conference.
Restrictions including banning restaurants from serving alcohol and telling them to close by 8 p.m. as well as a 5,000-person attendance cap at events are expected to end on Sunday.
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A senior Japanese ruling party official says cancelling this yearâs Olympic Games is an option if the coronavirus crisis becomes too dire, Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday, less than 100 days from the planned start of the Games.
âIf it seems impossible to do it any more, then we have to stop, decisively,â Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said in comments to broadcaster TBS.
The Tokyo Olympics are due to begin in less than 100 days.
Credit:AP
Cancellation is âof courseâ an option, Nikai said. âIf the Olympics were to spread infection, then what are the Olympics for?â he added.
10 Apr 2021 / 08:50 H.
(Adds U.S. comment)
By Sakura Murakami and Josh Smith
TOKYO/SEOUL, March 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. military landed in hot water with Japanese officials on Thursday when a spokesman used the term East Sea to refer to the wedge of sea between Japan, Russia and the Korean peninsula where North Korea tested missiles earlier in the day. We are aware of North Korean missile launches this morning into the East Sea, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command spokesman Captain Mike Kafka said in the initial official statement from the U.S. government.
North Korea launched two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan, drawing condemnation and concern from Japan, the United States, and South Korea.
The leader of the group, which supports Suga, denied any problem and said guidelines had been followed, but the prime minister said he didn't know about the meeting.