‘Corona knows no calendar’

Japanese leaders ask for government to declare a national shutdown because of surging cases of COVID-19. Summer Olympics in doubt.

January 2, 2021 - 8:02 AM

Members of the U.S. gymnastics team, from left, Alexandra Raisman, Madison Kocian, Lauren Hernandez, Simone Biles and Gabrielle Douglas, celebrate their gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 9, 2016. Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles

TOKYO — The Japanese capital, Tokyo, and three nearby prefectures have asked the national government to declare a state of emergency to curtail the surging spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

“In the name of valuing life, we made this plea together,” said Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike after meeting for three hours on Saturday with the minister in charge of coronavirus measures, along with the governors of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa.

Japan has seen a recent rise in reported cases of COVID-19, especially in urban areas. Tokyo saw a daily record of 1,337 cases on New Year’s Eve.

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