As COVID-19 cases surge, Japan sticks to 'lockdown-lite'
Japan decided this week to expand COVID-19 curbs to more than 70 percent of its population, but in contrast to stringent lockdowns in some countries, authorities are relying mainly on requests for self-restraint and peer pressure.
With nationwide new cases topping 15,000 a day for the first time this week, expectations are simmering that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga may declare a nationwide state of emergency, although he said on Thursday he was not considering this now. Some ruling lawmakers have also suggested legal changes to allow stricter enforcement of curbs, but any move to a Western-style "lockdown" would be controversial and take time.
Below are some key points about Japan's COVID-19 curbs. Under a nationwide emergency in April-May 2020, Tokyo asked a wide range of facilities to close including gyms, cinemas, bars, and large stores selling non-essential goods. Schools were closed early in the pandemic but reopened. While a March 2020 law allows the premier to declare a state of emergency if the disease poses a "grave danger" to lives, Japan has generally shunned stronger enforcement steps and the law did not mandate fines or other punishment.
