For the second year in a row, parts of Japan are heading into the Golden Week holiday season under the cloud of a coronavirus state of emergency, with shoppers and travelers again facing tough quasi-restrictions on their movements.
The country’s third state of emergency, scheduled to last at least 17 days from Sunday to May 11, is expected to dramatically impact industries that were hopeful ahead of the usually bountiful Golden Week holidays.
The four prefectures under the emergency declaration — Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto — make up a large chunk of Japan’s population and are also known as popular tourist destinations. But travel demand to the four will likely remain low, dealing yet another blow to the tourism industry.
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