As of June 2, in 2020, there were a total of 16,930 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Japan, with 1,378being in need of inpatient treatment. Additionally, 712 passengers and crews on the cruise ship Diamond Princess docked in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, were diagnosed with the virus. All the passengers and crew had disembarked the ship by March 1 and the ship left Yokohama on May 16.
Development of COVID-19 cases in Japan
Generally, the increase of new COVID-19 cases recorded from January to March 2020 in Japan followed a slower trajectory as compared to, for example, China, Europe and the United States of America. The first reported case of COVID-19 in Japan was confirmed on January 14, 2020, when a man that had returned from Wuhan city, China, was diagnosed positive. The first transmission within Japan was recorded on January 28. The number of new cases then increased tenfold in February. The upward trend in new cases continued in March with 26 clusters confirmed in multiple prefectures. April saw a further acceleration of the infection rate. Consequently, the Japanese government declared a nationwide state of emergency on April 16. The government started lifting the state of emergency in stages in May. It was lifted completely across Japan on May 25.
Measurements taken by the government in February and March
In response to the growing number of patients in the country, the Japanese government announced on February 26, that all cultural or sports events with a mass audience should be cancelled or postponed for the following two weeks, which was later extended until the end of March. The government also recommended the closure of all schools and kindergartens until the beginning of the new school year in April at the discretion of the local governments. Immigration restrictions were implemented sequentially for travelers from high risk areas starting with Wuhan, and eventually extended to areas from China, Korea, Iran, Italia, and San Marino until the middle of March. On March 21, a compulsory quarantine requirement was introduced for all travelers from Europe. On March 24, 2020, the Japanese government announced the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games as a direct result of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
From April to May
The number of new diagnosed cases strongly increased in the last week of March, forcing the government to increase preventive measures. On April 3, foreign travelers from most countries were subject to denial of landing. On April 7, the government officially declared a month-long state of emergency for seven prefectures and insisted citizens to stay home and work from home at the discretion of the employers. The government expanded the state of emergency to all of Japan on April 16, then lifted in all 47 prefectures by May 25. Of the prefectures, 24 also lifted the business suspension request entirely as of the end of May.
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