Abe Says Japan's Economy to Suffer Hard Blow in Event of Tokyo Lockdown - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday that the national economy would face significant negative consequences if there were to be a lockdown of Tokyo over the spread of COVID-19, Japan's NHK broadcaster reported.

According to the broadcaster, Abe said that the central government would coordinate with local authorities, including in Tokyo, in order to more effectively curb the spread of the pandemic.

Economic Revitalisation Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is in charge of the national response to COVID-19, has meanwhile said that declaring a state of emergency is not necessary at this stage, the broadcaster said.

The remarks followed a recent spike in infections in the Japanese capital. According to media reports, over 40 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Tokyo on Wednesday, the highest daily tally to date. On Monday and Tuesday, 16 and 17 coronavirus cases were reported in the capital, respectively.

Earlier in the day, the Tokyo metropolitan authorities set up a coronavirus task force. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, for her part, urged residents to stay at home during the upcoming weekend, adding that otherwise, the capital may face the risk of explosive growth in the number of new cases.

To date, there are 1,387 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country and 47 fatalities, according to the data provided by Johns Hopkins University.