Abe bets on less-strict lockdown

Japan has declared a state of emergency over a spike in coronavirus cases, ramping up efforts to contain infections but stopping short of the strict lockdowns seen in other parts of the world.

The government has come under mounting pressure to tackle an outbreak that remains small by global standards but has raised concerns among Japanese medical experts, with warnings that local health-care systems are already overstretched.

"As I decided that a situation feared to gravely affect people's lives and the economy has occurred ... I am declaring a state of emergency," Abe said.

The move allows governors in seven affected regions, including Tokyo, to ask people to stay indoors and request businesses close.

But many supermarkets and other shops will stay open, transport will continue to run and there are neither enforcement mechanisms nor penalties laid out for those who fail to comply with government requests.

"Although a state of emergency is declared, it won't mean a city lockdown as seen overseas," Abe said.

The pressure to declare an emergency increased after Tokyo reported several days of record infections, with 143 new cases recorded on Sunday.

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike has already asked residents of the capital to avoid unnecessary outings and work from home but had pushed for an emergency declaration to give her requests legal strength.

Seven regions are covered by the month-long declaration: Tokyo, neighboring Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama, the western hub of Osaka and neighboring Hyogo, and the southwestern region of Fukuoka.

The measure will last through to the end of the Golden Week holiday period when much of the country travels in a rare break.

"It may cause inconvenience in daily life, but I call for everyone's cooperation because lives are at stake," Koike said.

The measure also allows governors to commandeer property for medical purposes and close public facilities like schools, with many already closed.

The economic impacts of the measure and the broader global pandemic have raised concern of a recession in Japan, and Abe on Monday unveiled plans for a stimulus package worth around US$1 trillion (HK$7.8 trillion), or 20 percent of gross domestic product.

Japan has so far been spared the sort of virus outbreak seen in parts of Europe and the United States.

But medical experts have repeatedly sounded the alarm in recent weeks, citing the rapid increase of infections in parts of the country.

Doctors in Tokyo said the situation in the capital was already in "critical condition."

In light of the announcement, Hong Kong travel agency WWPKG Holdings said it is canceling all group tours until the end of May. Due to the pandemic, it has lost HK$100 million of revenue in the first quarter of the year.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE