No plans in Japan to declare state of emergency on April 1 – govt

Japan’s top government spokesman said on Monday there is no truth to rumors that the government is planning to declare a state of emergency from April 1 over the coronavirus pandemic.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also told reporters that an expected phone meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), had nothing to do with any decision on whether to declare a state of emergency in Japan, Reuters said.

Tokyo will raise its defenses against imported cases by banning the entry of foreigners traveling from the US, China, South Korea and most of Europe, the Asahi newspaper reported on Monday.

However, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said the government had not made any decision on bans.