Japan's prime minister said his administration will consider revising the law so that subsidies and penalties can be used in combination to enforce shorter business hours at bars and restaurants.
Suga Yoshihide mentioned the plan at a news conference on Friday. He called on people to avoid gatherings during year-end and New Year holidays to contain a surge in coronavirus cases.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide says the government will continue to do its best to contain the coronavirus and protect people's lives and health.
Suga said the government has been dealing with the challenge of containing the outbreak since January. He said it will continue to work hard to prevent the explosive increase in infections that has been seen in the US and some European countries.
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo on Wednesday called on people to continue their efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, two weeks after his declaration of a state of emergency.
Abe was speaking at a meeting of the government's coronavirus task force.
Experts on a government panel have agreed on the need to prevent clusters of the new coronavirus in Japan from expanding further.
The view comes as the Japanese government is set to compile comprehensive guidelines to contain the spread of the virus on Tuesday.
New cases of the coronavirus in Japan have been confirmed, bringing the total to over 330, including 285 on a cruise ship offshore.
Health authorities are working quickly to come up with effective measures to contain the spread after they found it hard to track down the infection routes of some cases.
The rash of new cases has the Japanese government scrambling to make sure the virus doesn't spread any further.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, " We're setting up an expert panel consisting of front-line specialists on infectious diseases to strengthen measures."
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stressed the government's commitment to contain the spread of the new coronavirus and prevent patients from developing serious symptoms through the emergency plan announced on Thursday.
The package aims to step up cooperation with local municipalities, and increase the capability of virus tests and treatment.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the government will not hesitate to take necessary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus.
Speaking at a Diet committee on Thursday, Abe said the government places top priority on protecting people's health and lives.