Japan Ends Coronavirus State of Emergency

The likelihood of the Japanese government lifting a state of emergency in Tokyo and nearby prefectures, as well as Hokkaido, altogether next Monday is growing, as the number of new coronavirus cases continues to decline, officials have said.

After observing the situation over the weekend and hearing opinions from health experts, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will formally decide what to do with the emergency for Tokyo and Hokkaido, as well as Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama prefectures, the last remaining areas under the measure among the country's 47 prefectures, officials said Friday.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported three new cases in the capital on Friday, the lowest since Abe first declared a monthlong state of emergency for urban areas on April 7.

"This is a number that sets the direction of decision-making," a senior government official said.

The emergency requesting people to refrain from nonessential outings was expanded to cover the entire nation on April 16 and later its expiry was extended until the end of this month.

But amid a downtrend in daily infections, the emergency has already ended in 42 prefectures, with Abe on Thursday lifting the measure in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures — all home to large urban populations.

The number of new COVID-19 infections in Tokyo began increasing rapidly in late March and peaked in mid-April.

Tokyo has confirmed more than 5,100 cases so far, the highest in the country. It also reported seven coronavirus-related deaths on Friday, raising the toll in the capital to 263.

At a news conference, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike laid out a three-step plan to ease virus restrictions in the event the emergency is lifted in Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures.

The...