Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday extended the nationwide state of emergency until the end of May to reduce new coronavirus infections in Japan amid nascent signs of the epidemic leveling off.Abe said extending the state of emergency that was due to expire Wednesday was necessary to remove some of the strain on hospitals overcrowded with COVID-19 patients and sought continued cooperation.But he acknowledged that "strict curbs" on social and economic activities cannot last long, saying "new lifestyles" should be adopted without lowering the guard against the virus in gradually returning to…READ FULL ARTICLE
