Japan’s state of emergency could be lifted early in some areas – minister

The state of emergency imposed because of Covid-19 could be lifted early in some areas of Japan that have seen a decline in new infections, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Thursday. He told reporters it was possible the emergency powers would be removed in those regions from May 14.

On Monday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe extended the nationwide state of emergency to May 31, saying the infection rate had yet to drop enough to justify ending lockdown measures.

Tokyo reported just 38 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, marking a fifth straight day of declining numbers of new infections, Reuters said, citing media reports.