Japan to expand state of emergency to rest of country

TOKYO: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is preparing to expand the state of emergency that Japan has declared for seven of its 47 prefectures so far to the rest of the nation in a bid to contain the coronavirus, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday. Abe declared the state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures accounting for about 44 percent of Japan’s population on April 7, to last through May 6. The nationwide emergency would last for the same duration, the Yomiuri said.