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A30 world news
Diabierna 8 Januari 2021

Japan declares emergency for Tokyo area as cases spike

(AP) — Japan declared a ents, your grandparents, fam- ing will help.
state of emergency in To- ily and friends, over genera- “When people go out to eat at
kyo and three nearby ar- tions,” Suga said. night, they tend to get drunk,
eas on Thursday as coro- Coronavirus cases have been talk in loud voices and sing
navirus cases continue to surging in Japan following so airborne infections spread
surge, hitting a daily re- year-end and New Year’s more quickly,” he said in a re-
cord of 2,447 in the capital. holidays. cent telephone interview.
Shigeru Omi, a doctor who Keeping COVID-19 infec-
Prime Minister Yoshihide heads the government panel tions under control is im-
Suga issued the declaration on coronavirus measures, de- perative for Japan with the
at the government task force scribed the latest wave as “ex- Tokyo Olympics set for July.
for the coronavirus. It lasts plosive,” requiring the emer- Politicians have repeatedly
from Friday until Feb. 7, and gency declaration. stressed it must go on de-
centers around asking restau- Tokyo has logged record spite an increasingly doubtful he said. alive. There’s no place to cut
rants and bars to close at 8 numbers of daily cases for public. Other economists are pro- costs because I did that for
p.m. and people to stay home two straight days, after 1,591 A similar state of emergency jecting a slightly greater neg- the last six months. There’s
and not mingle in crowds. on Wednesday. Nationwide, was issued last April hrough ative impact on GDP. no room for that.”
The declaration carries no cases have been growing late May, and was eventually During the second quarter Japan’s unemployment rate
penalties. But it works as a steadily by more than 5,000 widened to apply nationwide. last year, Japan’s economy has risen, but has not shot up,
strong request while Japan a day. The effort was largely effec- shrank nearly 8%, but has hovering at about 3%. Bank-
juggles to keep its economy Some experts say Japan tive. Japanese tend to follow gradually rebounded, grow- ruptcies related to the coro-
going. should have acted sooner, orders from authorities, even ing 5% in the July-September navirus total about 800 so far,
Shopping malls and schools and a government campaign without the threat of penal- 2020 period. high for Japan, according to
will remain open. Movie the- to promote domestic travel ties. Almost everyone has Trade has stagnated, although Tokyo Shoko Research.
aters, museums and other through discounts was a mis- been wearing masks. hopes are high for a gradual But shopping districts have
events will be asked to re- take. A legal change is needed to recovery. Some parts of Asia been packed, a situation that
duce attendance. Places that Opinion on having eateries allow for penalties in emer- have not been as affected by has contributed to the most
defy the request will be pub- close early is mixed, since gency declarations, and such the coronavirus as the U.S. recent virus wave.
licized on a list, while those places could simply get more a move is set to be considered and Europe. Some 250,000 cases have
that comply will be eligible crowded in earlier hours. in parliament. A strict lock- Still, the restaurant and ho- been confirmed nationwide
for aid, according to officials. Dr. Hiroshi Nishiura, an ex- down, like ones in Europe, is tel sectors will be slammed, with more than 3,700 deaths,
“I am confident we can over- pert on infectious diseases, not being considered. and government assistance is according to the Health Min-
come this, but I must ask all said the rate of increase in Yoshimasa Maruyama, chief needed, Maruyama said. istry. Hospitals are getting
of you endure a restricted life number of cases will decline economist at SMBC Nikko Shingo Sakai, who runs La stretched thin.
for a while longer,” Suga told but infections will continue Securities, said the economic Rochelle French cuisine res- Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike
reporters after the declara- to rise. He believes more damage from the declaration taurants in Tokyo, said fine and the heads of neighboring
tion. drastic action is needed. will be limited, with real gross dining takes more than two Saitama, Chiba and Kana-
He promised more aid for Vaccinations are expected to domestic product growth hours, and his customers gawa prefectures asked the
hospitals treating COVID-19 start next month in Japan, likely to be pushed down by usually don’t get out of the government for the emer-
patients. The Japanese mili- with health and essential 0.2 percentage points in the office until after 6 p.m. gency declaration over the
tary is ready to help, and ef- workers first. The rollout is first quarter of 2021. “We have to keep our dining weekend.
forts are underway to get a likely to take months. “The emergency last year quality, and at the same time “We need to now recognize
vaccine approved and deliv- Dr. Atsuo Hamada, an expert affected a wider part of the we need to keep our reputa- that virus infections have en-
ered, he added. on infections and professor economy, and it coincided tion by following the govern- tered a totally new stage,” she
“Please take this matter seri- at Tokyo Medical Univer- with the time when the econ- ment order,” he said. said. “Tokyo is making the
ously as your own, to protect sity Hospital, said curtailing omy was already struggling “I have to think about cutting protection of human life a
all precious life, your par- nighttime drinking and din- amid plunging global trade,” costs to keep the company top priority.”

Kim vows to bolster North Korea’s military at party meeting

the Workers’ Party congress pledged to expand his nu- pandemic-related border
the previous day didn’t elab- clear capability that he says closings, a series of natural
orate. North Korea has pre- already put the American disasters and the sanctions.
viously underscored its need mainland within its strik- On the first day of the con-
for nuclear weapons and mis- ing range. However, he has gress Tuesday, Kim admitted
siles as a deterrent and a pre- not resumed high-profile his previous economic devel-
emptive strike capability to weapons tests, which some opment plans failed, saying
cope with what it describes as analysts say could complete- that “almost all sectors fell
American hostility. ly derail diplomacy with the a long way short of the set
Cheong Seong-Chang, a fel- United States and further objectives.” He said the con-
low at the Wilson Center’s diminish prospects for win- gress would work out a new
Asia Program, said Kim’s ning sanctions relief. South five-year development plan.
speech likely contained “sen- Korea’s spy agency told law- Kim on Wednesday present-
sitive contents” that can pro- makers in late November ed goals for developing the
voke the United States and that Kim was worried about North’s transport, construc-
South Korea. President-elect Joe Biden’s tion, commerce and other
(AP) — North Korea lead- Kim made clear his “will to Kim halted his country’s nu- expected new approach on industries and proposed ways
er Kim Jong Un vowed reliably protect the security clear and long-range missile North Korea. Biden has to expand production in ag-
to strengthen the coun- of the country and people and tests before engaging in high- called Kim a “thug” and criti- riculture, light industry and
try’s military defenses in the peaceful environment of stakes summitry with Presi- cized his summit diplomacy fishing to improve public
a speech at a major rul- the socialist construction by dent Donald Trump in 2018. with Trump. This year’s con- livelihoods, KCNA said.
ing party meeting that placing the state defense ca- But with his advancing arse- gress — the first in five years State media didn’t provide
provides insights into his pabilities on a much higher nal on the negotiating table, — comes as Kim faces what much details on Kim’s eco-
priorities amid growing level, and put forth goals for their diplomacy fell apart due appears to be the toughest nomic review. Cheong said
economic challenges and realizing it,” the Korean Cen- to wrangling over the weap- moment since taking power North Korea likely didn’t
a U.S. presidential transi- tral News Agency said. ons and U.S.-led sanctions in late 2011, due to what he want foreign experts to learn
tion. The state media report on North Korea. calls “multiple crises” caused its poor economic perfor-
Thursday on Kim’s speech to Kim since then has openly by an economy battered by mance too easily.