Abe Given Power to Declare Emergency in Coronavirus Fight

Tokyo, March 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan's parliament enacted Friday a law amendment giving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the power to declare a state of emergency and take drastic measures in the fight against the spread of the new coronavirus. The amendment was approved by a majority vote in a plenary meeting of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, with support from the ruling camp as well as major opposition parties the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party). The revised law went into effect Saturday after being promulgated Friday night. Abe will hold a news conference from 6 p.m. on Saturday (9 a.m. GMT) to explain his government's responses to the virus crisis. The revised law, newly covering the coronavirus, allows the government to declare a state of emergency to authorize governors of the 47 prefectures to place restrictions on the private rights of citizens. "We'd like to operate the revised law properly," economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who mainly answered questions during parliamentary debates on the amendment, told reporters Friday, showing his eagerness to exchange views with the prefectural governors and the National Governors Association "as soon as possible" in case of a state of emergency being declared. The original law on special measures to combat new types of influenza was enacted in 2012 under the administration of the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan. The revised law can cover COVID-19, which is caused by the new coronavirus, for up to two years. But the government decided in an ordinance that the coverage period will last until the end of January next year. Under the revised law, a state of emergency can be declared after the government judges, on the basis of opinions from experts, that the rapid spread of the virus across the nation will have a significant impact on people's lives. An emergency declaration would allow governors to ask residents to avoid leaving their homes and to call for or order restrictions on the use of schools, theaters and other facilities where many people gather. Earlier on Friday, the amendment was approved at an Upper House Cabinet Committee meeting after clearing the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber, the previous day. For the revised law, an additional resolution was adopted to require in principle the government to give prior notice to parliament to declare a state of emergency, against the backdrop of concerns from both ruling and opposition lawmakers over restrictions on private rights. The resolution is not legally binding. A provision of the amendment merely stipulates that the government reports the emergency declaration to parliament. The resolution also calls for preserving the minutes of related meetings before an emergency declaration. END