On New Year’s Day in 2021, 3246 people were newly diagnosed with Coronavirus infection in Japan. Due to the recent surge in the number of new coronavirus infections, the Governor of Tokyo urged the Japanese government to declare a state of emergency again.
According to the Nikkei News on January 2, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike will meet with the Minister of Economic Rebirth of Japan, Yasumi Nishimura, and make a request.
The report pointed out that although the number of new cases on the 1st was lower than the 4,520 people on December 31, 2020, this does not mean that the number of infected people has decreased. It is because some medical institutions have stopped and reduced testing during the New Year. The local government also stopped counting and publishing the number of infected people during the New Year.
The number of newly infected people in Japan has exceeded 3,000 for 4 consecutive days. According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, on January 1, the number of severely infected people nationwide increased by 35 compared with the previous day, reaching 716, a record of the highest number so far. At the same time, the number of deaths reached 45, including 9 deaths in Osaka Prefecture and Hyogo Prefecture.
Among them, the infection situation in the Tokyo metropolitan area is still severe. After Tokyo has newly diagnosed more than 1,000 people on December 31, it still reached 783 on January 1. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said that he would have to consider preparing for another emergency situation.
According to Asia News Agency, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga held emergency consultations at the Prime Minister’s residence on New Year’s Eve with the Minister of Economic Rebirth Nishimura, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Tamura, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato. The content involved the issue of “emergency implementation”. .
Test data from NTTdocomo, a Japanese mobile communications company, showed that on the 1st, the number of people going out in major cities across Japan decreased by 90% compared to usual. This shows that many people spend the New Year at home without going out to visit shrines or temples.
This year’s Emperor of Japan’s New Year’s ceremonies were also cancelled due to the epidemic. Emperor Naruhito and his wife recorded a congratulatory video, greeting the people early on New Year’s Day, hoping that the people will unite and show patience to tide over the epidemic.
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito said, “Under such difficult circumstances, I believe that as long as people have firm expectations for the future and can live with peace of mind, they will definitely come in the near future.”
In April last year, the Japanese government declared a one-month state of emergency as the epidemic became severe.
