Abe Set To Extend State Of Emergency
Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says his government plans to make a formal decision on Monday about extending a nationwide state of emergency for about a month. The current state of emergency expires on May 6.
Abe spoke to reporters on Friday evening after being briefed on a meeting of a panel of experts advising the government.
He said the panel concluded that people's efforts have helped the country prevent the kind of explosive spread of infections suffered by other countries.
But he said further cooperation is needed from citizens, as the experts warn that Japan's medical system remains under strain.
Abe said he instructed the minister in charge of the pandemic response to quickly coordinate measures tailored to the conditions of each region, based on the experts' views. The measures would be implemented over about a month.
The prime minister said he will have the panel closely examine the scale of infections in each region, as well as other new data. He will then make a formal decision on an extension on May 4.
