WORLD / ASIA-PACIFIC
Japan extends state of emergency in six places to May 31 over COVID-19
By Xinhua Published: May 07, 2021 07:11 PM
Playground equipment at Kaneoka Higashi Park was cordoned off due to a state of emergency in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, on Thursday. The Osaka government is expected to ask the central government to prolong the state of emergency in the prefecture. Tokyo will also seek to extend its state of emergency aimed at curbing coronavirus infections until May 31, Governor Yuriko Koike said on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Playground equipment at Kaneoka Higashi Park was cordoned off due to a state of emergency in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, on Thursday. The Osaka government is expected to ask the central government to prolong the state of emergency in the prefecture. Tokyo will also seek to extend its state of emergency aimed at curbing coronavirus infections until May 31, Governor Yuriko Koike said on Thursday. Photo: AFP


Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Friday the government is extending the state of emergency over COVID-19 in Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Aichi and Fukuoka until the end of May.

Under the more stringent restrictions in place since April 25, restaurants in the six places have been urged not to serve alcohol and close by 8 p.m.

The emergency state was initially set to be eased next Tuesday.