A resident wearing mask walks across the street in Tokyo, Japan, March 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)
The state of emergency, which will come into effect on Wednesday, covers the capital and other major prefectures including Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka.
TOKYO, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday declared a month-long state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures in an effort to curb the COVID-19 outbreak.
The declaration will come into effect on Wednesday. Specifically, it covers the capital and other major prefectures including Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka.
The declaration will give prefectural governors more power to take preventative measures to curb the continued spread of the virus, the cases of which have been steadily increasing, particularly in urban areas. ■
