Tokyo’s Emergency End ? A Breath of Relief or Just the Calm After a Storm?
Yesterday, Tokyo’s coronavirus advisory panel gave the green light to lift the state of emergency on Sunday, March 21. The move came after some major news from the top brass in Tokyo’s government.
From the Premier to the Governor
- Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga flagged the change, citing a better hospital capacity in Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures.
- Economy Minister Yasuhisa Nishimura, who also steers the country’s pandemic response, said the plan faced no opposition at the advisory meeting.
- Yet, the panel cautioned that infection numbers are creeping up again—saying a rebound is “bound to happen.”
Why the Urgency? The Olympics and Economic People
With the Tokyo Olympics looming later this summer, Japan is under pressure to curb COVID‑19 while also reviving its economy—especially in the Greater Tokyo area, home to about 36 million residents, or roughly 30 % of the nation’s population.
The pandemic’s third wave hit Japan hard in early January, but new case numbers have dropped since. Still, the average daily figures over the past week are above Governor Yuriko Koike’s goal of pulling the 7‑day average down to 70 % of last week’s rate.
Case Numbers, In Real Terms
Tokyo reported 409 new cases on Wednesday—decently lower than the January peak of 2,520, yet it’s the highest since mid‑February.
What “Ending the Emergency” Means for Residents
As Koike explained, this isn’t a “no‑limits” zone. Instead, it marks a shift into a new phase that still demands caution:
“(The state of emergency will be lifted) on the 21st, but does that mean anything goes after that? No, it doesn’t, and we have to see it as entering a new stage,” Koike told reporters.
She added, “The first drop of vaccines for Tokyo’s 14 million has only just begun, and until we’re done, we have to fight with our bare hands.”
Serving the City: Business Hours & Telework
- While under emergency, restaurants and bars were forced to close by 8 pm, and many firms adopted telecommuting.
- Post‑emergency, the four prefectures—Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama—set a new rule: eateries close by 9 pm at least until the end of March, aiming to curb a potential surge.
Moving Forward
The government’s taskforce is set to finalize the plan later Thursday, followed by a press conference from Prime Minister Suga at 10:00 GMT (6:00 pm Singapore time).
By now, Japan has recorded roughly 449,000 positive cases and 8,715 deaths.
Bottom Line
Tokyo’s emergency is going offline, but the city’s citizens should keep their helmets on whether that’s metaphorical or literal. With vaccine rollout still in progress and infection clouds hovering, this is just the calm between thunderstorm and next storm—so stay alert, stay healthy, and keep your love for Tokyo alive.
