FOCUS: Emergency declaration tests conformity as coronavirus strains health care

Now that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared a state of emergency to prevent the collapse of Japan's health care systems over the coronavirus outbreak, attention will shift to whether the first-ever such measure in Japan will prove effective.The declaration is expected to send a powerful message to the public and influence their behavior. People in the seven designated prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka will be asked to stay at home, though there will be no punitive measures for those who ignore the request.That is the maximum allowed under the current legal framework, and now Japan's…READ FULL ARTICLE