With various coronavirus countermeasures active in nearly half the country, the looming possibility that the state of emergency will be expanded nationwide ¡ª and doubts over the efficacy of such a move ¡ª weigh heavily on Japan.
After case numbers began to rebound in March, the central government declared a state of emergency and pre-emergency measures in places where infections were spreading rapidly. But new cases continued to rise as the nation¡¯s fourth wave took shape.
Still, the central government remains hesitant to further expand the order.
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