Asia

Japan's Abe Proposes State of Emergency, Stimulus Package Worth $1 Trillion Due to COVID-19 Outbreak

Earlier in the day, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to declare a state of emergency in the country later this week in order to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19.
Sputnik

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday proposed a stimulus package worth some $1 trillion (108 trillion yen), which is 20 percent of the country's GDP.

"We hope to declare a state of emergency as early as tomorrow after listening to the opinions of the advisory panel," Abe told reporters.

The measures will affect Tokyo and its surroundings and six other prefectures. However, "unlike in the foreign countries, the cities will not be closed", Abe said.

Japan has registered 3,654 COVID-19 cases as of Monday, with 73 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation.

At the same time, the total number of coronavirus cases worldwide has reached 1,174,855 as of today, with 64,471 fatalities.

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