Japan Lifts State of Emergency

Above, a view of Tokyo from the Tokyo Skytree. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan has ended their coronavirus state of emergency in the last remaining prefectures.

This was after 16,000 tested positive for the coronavirus and 800 deaths. They achieved this without any lockdowns. The United States could learn a lot from Japan.

The Japanese people practiced stay-at-home without threats and penalties, unlike places like New Mexico where the state government threatened people through tactics by the State Police that many called "Gestapo" and issued fines.

According to News On Japan:

The Japanese government has lifted the state of emergency in the last five of the country's 47 prefectures. 

The prime minister said it showed the strength of what he called "the Japan model," a reference to the public's adherence to stay-at-home policies without the threat of penalties. 

Abe Shinzo said on Monday, "Today the government will lift the state of emergency across the nation. We've set some of the most strict criteria in the world to lift the declaration, and we concluded that prefectures across the country have met that standard." 

The final five are Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures, as well as the northernmost island of Hokkaido. 

The state of emergency once covered the entire country. But it was scaled back in recent weeks, as the number of new infections declined. 

Abe said economic activity will restart in phases. He said he aims to create what he calls a 'new normal' in the country.

 To read more, go here.