Japanese PM calls for govt to be on high alert as Tokyo infections rise

TOKYO • Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the government must be on high alert as coronavirus cases begin to rise in the capital, about three weeks before Tokyo hosts the Olympic Games.

"While there is a downward trend across the country as a whole, there is a slight upward trend in the capital region," Mr Suga told reporters yesterday. "We must be on a high state of alert in dealing with the virus."

He added that he would be nimble in adjusting policies to deal with the situation.

Case numbers in Tokyo have been creeping up over the past week since Mr Suga lifted a state of emergency imposed to rein in infections. Any sharp increase could mean the emergency is reintroduced, further restricting residents' activities, even while the Games are taking place.

The seven-day moving average of new virus infections recorded in Tokyo rose to 477 on Sunday, compared with 388 the previous week.

Mr Suga's comments came as the Tokyo government announced that Governor Yuriko Koike would take a few more days away from public duties on the advice of a doctor, extending a week-long absence.

Ms Koike, 68, had been expected to return to work yesterday, after taking time off to recuperate from fatigue. She was taken to a hospital last Tuesday.

Ms Koike has led Tokyo's response throughout the coronavirus crisis, often appearing to adopt a more cautious stance than Mr Suga's government.

She has retained relatively strong public backing, with 57 per cent of respondents in a poll of Tokyo residents published by the Asahi newspaper yesterday saying they supported her.

The political veteran has stepped out of the spotlight at a critical time, just before local elections in the city on July 4. There are three more years to Ms Koike's term as governor, but she must work closely with the victorious parties in the assembly, which may include Mr Suga's Liberal Democratic Party.

Controversy continues to rage over the Olympics, which are set to open on July 23.

About 58 per cent of respondents to a Mainichi newspaper survey published yesterday said they opposed the Games. Japan's Imperial Household Agency even weighed in, saying last week that Emperor Naruhito may have concerns that the Games could cause coronavirus infections to rise.

About 55 per cent of respondents to the Asahi survey said they approved of Ms Koike's handling of the virus, compared with 35 per cent who said they did not.

BLOOMBERG