Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike announced Friday that phase two of the capital's three-part plan to peel back coronavirus countermeasures will begin on Monday.
A day earlier, the Osaka Prefectural Government said it would start lifting all remaining business closure requests on Monday — giving the green light to clubs, gyms, bars and other facilities that had been struck by cluster infections.
Municipal leaders say new cases of the novel coronavirus will be closely monitored as the country’s largest cities continue to emerge from the state of emergency declared April 7 by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who lifted the order in all prefectures on Monday.
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