Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, makes the announcement
The state of emergency will last up to a month and will apply to the prefectures of Tokyo, Osaka, Chiba, Kanagawa, Hyogo, Saitama and Fukuoka.
Abe also adds that they will withdraw the order as soon as it is clear that people's lives are no longer in danger or if the measures are no longer needed.
Just be reminded that Japan cannot legally enforce its citizens to stay at home but considering that the government has finally shown its seriousness, expect this to be somewhat equivalent to lockdown measures deployed in other countries around the world.
Expect this to weigh heavily on the Japanese economy - more so than what we have seen so far - during the month, as the state of emergency is set to run from 7 April until 6 May.
