Japan to end virus emergency excluding Tokyo area at end of February

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday that Japan will lift its COVID-19 state of emergency for six prefectures at the end of this month, but the Tokyo metropolitan area will have to wait for further signs its situation is improving.Of the 10 prefectures under the state of emergency, Aichi, Gifu, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka will be removed from the list a week earlier than the scheduled end date of March 7 as infections have declined and the strain on hospitals has eased.The decision comes as the government seeks to revive an economy hit by plummeting household spending and the absen…READ FULL ARTICLE