Japan Lifted Its National Emergency From Today

After the number of new COVID-19 cases plummeted, Japan began to lift a national emergency on May 25 and gradually reopened the economy.

According to the AFP news agency, Japan lifted its state of emergency for COVID-19 nationwide on May 25 and gradually reopened the world's third largest economy. However, government officials remain cautious about the risk of another wave of infection.

In response to the press conference on May 25, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: 

"We have very strict criteria for lifting emergencies. We assess that we have met them."

The decision was made after the number of new cases dropped from the peak of about 700 cases a day to a few dozen a day nationwide.

Mr Abe praised Japan's success in lowering the number of new cases and said it could "show the power of the so-called Japanese model".

The Japanese leader also noted that people continue to avoid "3 Cs" (enclosed spaces, crowded places and close contact). If we lower our guard, the virus will spread very quickly. We need to be alert, "Mr. Abe emphasized.

The state of emergency was declared by Prime Minister Abe in Tokyo and six other areas on April 7 due to concerns about a spike in COVID-19 infections and pressure on the health system. After that, a state of emergency was applied to the whole country.

At that time, schools and businesses were encouraged to close, and residents were required to stay indoors. Japan's blockade measures are much softer than in many parts of the world, violators are not sanctioned.

Currently, Japan has recorded 16,581 cases and 830 deaths from corona virus. Compared with many European countries, USA, Russia and Brazil, Japan is not too seriously affected.