Hokkaido declares state of emergency till March 19

Hokkaido declared a state of emergency yesterday over the coronavirus outbreak, while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stood firm on his abrupt call for schools to close for a month, amid stiff pushback from parents, educators and experts who said the move was excessive and unnecessary.

Hokkaido's declaration, which for now lasts until March 19, is the first among Japan's 47 prefectures and came as another 12 cases were confirmed yesterday, bringing the prefectural tally to 66.

Governor Naomichi Suzuki, wearing a mask, urged residents to avoid going out unnecessarily this weekend.

Meanwhile, Mr Abe's call for blanket school closures nationwide, said to be a top-down decision that has stunned even government health experts and senior officials in the Education Ministry, came as he was facing heat from a dissatisfied public over what has - until now - been seen as relaxed measures to fight the outbreak.

Separately, Tokyo Disney Resort and Universal Studios Japan in Osaka said they will close from today until March 15, joining other tourist attractions such as Ghibli Museum and the Kabukiza theatre in Ginza in shutting their doors.

Mr Abe wants elementary, junior high, senior high and special needs schools to close from Monday. The closures will extend until the spring break, with schools to reopen on April 6 at the earliest.

His announcement caused a national furore. Education Minister Koichi Hagiuda toned down the message yesterday, saying that the local authorities should exercise "flexible judgment" as to when is the best time to shut.

The general consensus was that it was understandable if schools were made to close in virus-hit areas like Hokkaido, but experts said shutting schools in non-affected areas amounted to a political stunt.

Japan had 227 cases of the coronavirus as of 6.30pm local time yesterday, including five deaths, across 19 prefectures.

Mr Abe promised that the government would draw up all necessary measures "without any hesitation" to fight the outbreak and mitigate the impact of the policy.

He reiterated that the next two weeks would be crucial for Japan, which is at a tipping point in its fight to stop the outbreak from becoming an epidemic.

Finance Minister Taro Aso also sought to calm worries: "The government would make financial arrangements to alleviate the burden on households, including dual-income and single-parent families, that are affected by the policy."

There are varying decisions as to when to close schools, though most municipalities will do so next week.

Hokkaido schools have been shut since Thursday, while Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya plan to close from Monday. Kyoto will make a decision on when to close only on Monday, while Ehime will close its schools from Wednesday.

Chiba City Mayor Toshihito Kumagai said city schools will close from Tuesday for two weeks, instead of until spring break.

"We need to make sure that there is enough epidemiological evidence from the government to justify depriving students of opportunities to learn," he said.

Shimane prefecture, which has no cases, said it has no intention of closing its schools for now.

Kanazawa Mayor Yukiyoshi Yamano said schools in the city will not shut on Monday. "We share the sense of crisis with the Prime Minister, but this is a major social experiment. The government has to be cautious - there is not too much time for citizens and our city to make preparations."