People wearing face masks sit in a train in Tokyo, Japan, on November 12, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

Japan was expected to extend a state of emergency on Tuesday to fight the spread of COVID-19 for Tokyo and other areas, three sources with knowledge of the legal procedures said Monday.

The government was expected to decide on the extension after a meeting of its experts panel on Tuesday, with the emergency period in prefectures including the Tokyo area expected to run for another month, the sources said.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was expected to hold a news conference on Tuesday, one source told Reuters.

The government in January declared a one-month state of emergency, due to end on Sunday, for 11 areas here, including Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures, as part of measures to rein in the pandemic.

Suga has launched a raft of measures to contain a third wave of infections as his government remains determined that the Olympics go ahead as planned on July 23.

But support for his administration has weakened over unhappiness with its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which critics have called too slow and inconsistent.

The government may also consider lifting the state of emergency in some less-populated areas, such as Tochigi Prefecture, which has seen a decline in COVID-19 cases, local media said.

A Nikkei newspaper poll showed 90 percent of respondents favored extending the emergency period in areas where it is implemented.

Japan has had a total of 390,687 coronavirus cases and 5,766 deaths, public broadcaster NHK said. 

Reuters