#Tokyo, Osaka to Come Out of State of Emergency as Cases Rise and Olympics Loom

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on June 17 (via NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga confirmed tonight that the central government would not be extending the current State of Emergency in 7 of the 8 prefectures currently under the highest tier of COVID restrictions. This confirmation comes just 5 weeks out from the scheduled start of the Tokyo Olympics and as cases rise in the capital.

Okinawa in Japan’s south will continue under the State of Emergency declaration for at least July 11, though will be canceling the request to close schools in the island prefecture.

For the areas coming out of the State of Emergency, they will be moved to Stage 3 on the 4 stage system until at least July 11. Hokkaido, Tokyo, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka prefecture will join Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa in this stage, which will continue to see limits for events and businesses close by 8 PM, with alcohol only allowed to be sold until 7 PM–much like current State of Emergency restrictions.

Gifu and Mie prefectures will be in this 3rd stage until June 20. 

Akihabara on June 11 (Photo: Daryl Harding)

All the prefectures under the State of Emergency have seen COVID-19 cases decline over the month and a half State of Emergency, but Tokyo has seen an increase in cases over the last few days, with 452 new cases on Thursday, 13 more than the week before. Despite this, serious cases have decreased, as have hospitalized cases. Vaccinations have also ramped up, with some wards of Tokyo opening up vaccinations to all age groups that are allowed to get the vaccine this week.

This third State of Emergency was declared to combat the then rising number of COVID-19 cases in the Kansai region and Tokyo on April 25. It shut down theaters in the regions, delaying multiple anime films. The State of Emergency was then extended on May 7, and again on May 28, making it the longest State of Emergency since the first was declared in March 2020.

Sources: NHK (1, 2, 3, 4), NHK World Japan

If you or someone you know is living in Japan, coronavirus-based English resources are available at NHK World Japan. 

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Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.