Japan’s Abe Moves to Declare Emergency, Pass Record Stimulus

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe moved to declare a state of emergency in seven prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka, and announced a record economic stimulus package as the country braces for a surge in coronavirus infections.

Abe said the official announcement of a month-long emergency could come as soon as Tuesday and also announced a much larger-than-expected stimulus package of 108 trillion yen ($988 billion) to support struggling households and businesses. Calls for more stringent measures to contain the deadly virus had been growing, as a recent spike in infections -- reaching a total of about 4,000 from less than 400 just a month ago -- sparked concerns Japan is headed for a crisis on the levels seen in the U.S. and several countries in Europe.