Suga says state of emergency for Tokyo area to end on Sunday

SOE ending as cases see their highest number in a month. Great timing.

A bit ironic that the emergency declaration ends as soon as Hanami starts... a coincidence?....

Suga Logic, worse numbers every day o infections which means also hospital bed occupation will inevitably go back up but Olympics must go ahead and lives will be sacrificed. Of course, he is now vaccinated.

@Monty

I don't understand what you Guys are complaining???

When the SOE was implemented, you complain and said this SOE is complete Nonsense.

Now they lift your called "Nonsens SOE", and you also complain.

I really recommend that you decide what you want.

I for one want a real SOE that is actually effective, with some real measures, not this charade one.

But cancelling even this current so called "SOE" will simply convey a message to that "all is well now", when that's far from reality. Lifting the SOE is going to the complete wrong direction, and I fear for the psychological effect (="yayyy let's nomikai!!!") it will have.

Hi Monty, it's a reasonable comment but you miss the point.

''When the SOE was implemented, you complain and said this SOE is complete Nonsense.

Now they lift your called "Nonsens SOE", and you also complain.''

I can't speak for anyone but myself, of course, but the reason I complain about the SOE's (the first one under Abe was perfectly timed, but called off just as it was starting to take effect) is they are toothless and made redundant by conflicting campaigns and mixed messages.

The reason I am critical of them lifting the SOE is they are not revising anything, not implementing an alternative strategy; they are effectively just throwing their hands in the air and saying 'Bah! It's all too difficult.'

Cant wait looking to head out every night after work to izakayas and have drinking parties every night here in Tokyo.

@Vinke

But cancelling even this current so called "SOE" will simply convey a message to that "all is well now", when that's far from reality.

Exactly. My company will jump on the end of the SOE as a reason to drag us all back to the office even though we can clearly work from home with no issues. I wonder how many other companies will do the same. The SOE was incredibly weak, but it was the only reason some companies allowed WFH.

The "YEN/MONEY" months are approaching the government knows they have no choice but to open up and get people out and about to support the spirit of the Olympics. The government also know that people have been locked up and they want to get out and with that said people will enjoy themselves and totally forget about what happened last year. This is a mistake!

Hurrah!! Out for hanami. Maskless. Boozing and shouting and getting too close to strangers. All the comparative numbers show that lockdowns and masks have worked and so we can relax again.

Wow! Now life can go on as normal. Go to restaurants. Go shopping. Go to Ginza. Go out with the crowds. Just like it has been since this pretty please State Of Emergency.

Blinking madness, shear madness.

The best way to distract from the government scandals is to distract the public is to allow them to engage in activities that will lead to more infections.

Nothing to see here, move along!

Also LDP is getting their dose of vacination before we therefore there is no reason for an SOE other than to get everyone vacinnated in sitama, chiba, and its neighboring prefectures of Tokyo just in time before the Olympics I think.

On the same page today, Gov't calls for caution as daytime karaoke sessions spread coronavirus.

So they decide to end the SOE. Logical? Or maybe 'Spread' is different to 'Increase?'

GoTo Trouble will be restarting soon too...

SOE was not the reason behind cases declining, citizens cooperation was the reason.

To me, you can't separate these two things. The whole point of SOE is to get citizens to cooperate! SOE is not a hard, strictly enforced lockdown like in other countries. Instead, it's a signal to the population that says, we need you to cooperate and make some sacrifices and take extra care for awhile.

Somebody must be complaining about their hanami celebrations. Does this mean they will stop reporting infections and switch to another statistic.

Just in time for...the final decision on the 2020 Superspreader Olympic Games!

Well...here we go again, on again off again...prolong the economic pain in order to squeeze a few short term feel good Yen out of the Spring season, then struggle on with partial closures for the couple of years it will take to get vaccines distributed. Everone (Schools/businesses) has invested in their plastic shields, mask protocols, air filters and alcohol, so it would just be a waste to abandon that now and take definitive action.

Its the course they mapped for us, and we're sticking with it. because 'Gaman' is what defines us.

and....sigh.

Doesn’t quite fit the rise in numbers today, but still a couple days to fix that. Just change the person in trouble for testing too many positive people today and not managing to do something with the numbers to present them in a manner to match the already decided cancellation.

The infection rate has stabilized and won't further decrease. So what's the point of extending the SoE? So that our tax dollars can go to.support the owners of eateries? Give me a f.b.

Good move. The science has spoken and its loud and clear; Like masks, none of these restrictions work.

It will take time to ween a lot of the hypocondriacs off of their security blankets, but in the meantime the healthy-minded should be able to enjoy normal life again.

SOE was not the reason behind cases declining, citizens cooperation was the reason. During newyear people didnot cooperated which resulted in hike of cases thats all.

Everyone in the government getting surprised and discussing how come there is an increase of infected in 10...9...8...7..

Especially waiting for those "being asymptomatic" arguments.

Freedom over Fear.

Well played J-Gov

Not acceptable.

At least can people now stop accusing the government of fixing the numbers

Who cares just want go to campaign back hurry!!!

SOE ending as cases see their highest number in a month. Great timing.

SOE Literally does nothin. Use your brain when you type out bs

I don't understand what you Guys are complaining???

When the SOE was implemented, you complain and said this SOE is complete Nonsense.

Now they lift your called "Nonsens SOE", and you also complain.

I really recommend that you decide what you want.

The number of suicide increased again in Feb. 2021 compared with the same month of the last year.

Feb.2021 --- 1,626, Feb.2020 --- 1,464

Jan.2021 --- 1,678, Jan.2020 --- 1,684

It may be natural for the government to think the young people's lives are more important than the elderly's one. Therefore, the elderly people should protect themselves and keep staying home as much as possible for surviving until vaccination.

I don't understand what you Guys are complaining???

When the SOE was implemented, you complain and said this SOE is complete Nonsense.

Now they lift your called "Nonsens SOE", and you also complain.

Because haters will be haters. They only complain.

But I agree with the argument that SoE or not, nothing will improve or worsen.

About time!