Will Prime Minister Abe issue an Emergency Declaration?

A state of emergency is defined by the government as “a situation in which the capacity to provide medical care will reach its limit and people’s lives and health will be put at risk unless measures are taken.”

The government revised the law on new types of influenza and infectious diseases which took effect in 2013 to include the new coronavirus that was first detected in Wuhan, central China, late last year.

To apply the amended law, effective for two years, the health minister first needs to report to the prime minister that infections with the new coronavirus are feared to become “rampant.” A government headquarters will then be set up to come up with countermeasures in line with the law.

Abe does not have the freedom to declare a state of emergency at his own discretion. He needs to seek input from an advisory panel comprising experts in medicine and public health who determine whether the situation calls for an emergency declaration.

There are two criteria that need to be met: whether people’s lives and health will be severely undermined and whether the rapid and nationwide spread of the virus will have a grave impact on daily life and the economy.

If the advisory panel judges it necessary to make a declaration, the prime minister will do so by determining which areas should be targeted, most likely on a prefectural basis, and for how long. It also needs to be notified to parliament.

Such a declaration enables prefectural governors to call for specific action to prevent the spread of the virus.

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