Japan lifts Tokyo's state of emergency, eyes fresh stimulus

[Jeorge IX]

Source: Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that Japan will lift a state of emergency for Tokyo and four remaining areas later in the day but that it could be reimposed if the pace of infections picked up.

Social distancing curbs were loosened for most of the country on May 14 as new infections fell, but the government has kept Tokyo and four other prefectures under watch.

Abe also told a news conference that the total amount of stimulus from two economic packages would exceed 200 trillion yen but it would still take considerable time to get back to normal life while controlling infection risks.

He added that Japan had managed to get the coronavirus infection under control in just one and a half months, in its own way, and that this showed the strength of the “Japan model.”

Japan’s economy minister told reporters earlier on Monday the government had received approval from key advisers to remove the state of emergency for all remaining regions.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-japan-stimulus/japan-lifts-tokyos-state-of-emergency-eyes-fresh-stimulus-idUSKBN2300SW?il=0

---

I thought Abe was really conservative. Giving the All-Clear this early strikes me as neither conservative nor wise.

[freepotter]

1. Japan has a handle on this

I think that the rest of the world could take lessons from Japan in how to deal with contagious diseases. They have about 126 million people (about 38% of the US) and have had only 16,580 cases and 830 deaths from covid19 as of yesterday. They aren't "this early" in their experience with the virus. Their peak rate of infection came in mid April, and has rapidly declined since then. I didn't read anywhere that Abe gave the "All-Clear". (Your Reuters article.) He said that opening the economy and activities would be done in steps with evaluations at each step, and that if the rates rise, steps would be taken to reimpose restrictions. Makes us look like a bunch of fools, and makes me wish I could live there, again. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Japan-reassesses-Tokyo-and-Osaka-emergency-restrictions-Thursday

[rockfordfile]

2. I bet they have more cases than that