Japan to fully lift COVID-19 emergency measures this week

The Japanese government is set to fully lift the COVID-19 state of emergency currently covering Tokyo and 18 prefectures and a quasi-state of emergency for eight regions when they expire on Thursday, amid a steady decline in the number of infections, a source familiar with the matter said Monday.Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said his government will make a formal decision on Tuesday by taking into consideration the opinions of a panel of experts in infectious diseases and other fields. If lifted, it would be the first time since April 4 that none of the country's 47 prefectures has been und…READ FULL ARTICLE