Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a new state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo prefectures on Friday, after the government’s expert panel approved a plan earlier in the day.
The Japanese government declared the previous state of emergency in Tokyo and the neighboring prefectures of Saitama, Kanagawa, and Chiba on January 8.
The state of emergency covered eight of Japan’s 10 most populous prefectures and over half of the nation’s population.
The state of emergency was planned to end on February 7, but was extended until March 7 in Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Aichi, Fukuoka, Gifu, Saitama, Kanagawa, and Chiba prefectures.