Japan extends virus emergency until end of September

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has extended a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and 18 other areas until the end of September as health care systems remain under severe strain, although new infections have slowed slightly. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says serious cases remain high and are still overwhelming many hospitals. Despite the prolonged emergency, the largely voluntary measures have become less effective as exhausted Japanese increasingly ignore them. The extension covers a period when Japan’s government is in transition. Suga has announced he is not running in a Sept. 29 race for his party’s leadership, and his successor in that race will likely be the next prime minister. His government has faced sharp criticism over its handling of the virus.