Japan eyes state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka regions amid virus surge – Reuters

Japan eyes state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka regions amid virus surge – Reuters

An empty street near the usually crowded Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto, a popular tourist attraction, is pictured amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Japan, July 21, 2020. REUTERS/Leika KiharaJapan's government is considering a state of emergency for Tokyo and Osaka as new COVID-19 case numbers surge, broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday, a move that would enable prefectural authorities to impose curbs to try to stop infections spreading.With thousands of new cases resulting from highly infectious strains of the virus, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the government wanted to decide this week whether to declare the state of emergency for major parts of the country.Suga said the capital Tokyo was mulling a request to the central government to issue the state of emergency, as Osaka and Hyogo prefectures already have done.Japan has so far avoided an explosive spread of the pandemic that has plagued many Western countries, with total cases so far at about 540,000 and a death toll of 9,707. But the latest rise in infections has stoked alarm, coming just three months before the planned start of the Tokyo Olympics and amid a sluggish vaccination roll-out.On Wednesday Tokyo reported 843 new infections, the most since Jan. 29 when its