People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk on a street in Tokyo on Sept. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government is set to extend the COVID-19 state of emergency again for Tokyo and many other areas Thursday, as hospitals remain under strain despite a falling number of infections, while charting a road map for easing restrictions for when most of the population is vaccinated.

       The state of emergency covering 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures had been slated to end Sunday but will remain in place through Sept. 30 for 19 prefectures, including Hokkaido, Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka.

       Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister in charge of Japan's coronavirus response, told a meeting of experts that the medical systems in the designated areas are still in a "severe situation" and stressed the need to implement thorough anti-virus measures as there could be an influx of travelers on the national holidays in late September.

       A panel of experts advising the government on its COVID-19 response said Wednesday the state of emergency should only be lifted if hospital bed occupancy rates fall below 50 percent and patients with severe to moderate symptoms are on a downward trend.

       As part of steps to relax restrictions, Nishimura said the government will review its anti-virus measures for international travelers. The government plans to shorten its COVID-19 quarantine period for people entering Japan to 10 days from 14 days.

       Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to formally decide on the extension at a task force meeting later Thursday before holding a press conference at 7 p.m., his first since abruptly announcing his resignation last week amid mounting criticism over his government's coronavirus response.

       As Suga's term as the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party expires on Sept. 30, the LDP is preparing to hold a presidential election on Sept. 29 to pick its next president, who will also become the next prime minister.

       Under the emergency, which has been in place in Tokyo since July 12 and extended twice, people are being urged to avoid crowded areas while restaurants are asked to refrain from serving alcohol and to close by 8 p.m.

       Infections nationwide surged to more than 25,000 a day in mid-August but have since fallen by about half, although hospitals continue to struggle to deal with the large number of patients with serious symptoms of COVID-19.

       At present, people in areas under a state of emergency are asked by the government to refrain from traveling across prefectural borders or staging large events such as concerts and sports games with more than 5,000 spectators.

       The government's road map is set to drop these requests from around November, with people able to attend large events if they have been fully vaccinated or provide negative test results.

       Restaurants will also be no longer asked to forgo selling alcohol as long as they are certified to have measures in place to prevent infections.

       About 49 percent of Japan's population, or roughly 62 million people, have received two shots of the vaccine, according to the latest government data. Suga has promised that everyone eligible and willing to receive a vaccination will do so sometime between October and November.

       A general election is also expected to be held around that time as the lower house members' term runs out on Oct. 21.

       The government has apparently decided that this would be the right time to ease restrictions that have hurt businesses, especially in the food services and tourism sectors, though health experts continue to voice concerns over the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

       Among the 21 prefectures currently under the state of emergency, Miyagi and Okayama will shift to a quasi-state of emergency, which allows governors to impose measures on specific cities rather than their entire prefectures.

       The quasi-state of emergency currently covers 12 prefectures, six of which -- Toyama, Yamanashi, Ehime, Kochi, Saga and Nagasaki -- are set to exit as they have seen a drop in the number of infections.

       Font Size S M L Print Timeline 0