Japan officially declared Friday a state of emergency in Tokyo and three other regions due to the spread of Covid-19, putting the upcoming Olympic Games at risk. “Today we have decided to declare a state of emergency in the departments of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hyogo,” announced Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who justified the measure given the reappearance of cases due to new variants of the coronavirus. Unlike the previous state of emergency, which only required establishments to reduce their opening hours, this time they will have to close shops that sell alcohol, large stores and some shopping malls. The state of emergency will take effect on April 25 and will last until at least May 11. While authorities will be able to limit or prohibit attendance in sporting events, Japanese sources were cited as saying that these measures will not impact the organization of the Tokyo Olympics. The Asian country recorded more than half a million infections and more than 9,800 deaths in total. Source: Reuters