Statement by Kengo Sakurada, Chairman of Keizai Doyukai
on Third Declaration of State of Emergency for COVID-19

April 23, 2021

Kengo Sakurada
Chairman, Keizai Doyukai

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1. A state of emergency has been declared today for Tokyo and three other prefectures. This is the third declaration, effective April 25 through May 11. The spread of COVID-19 and its variants have strained capacity at hospitals, making the government's decision unavoidable. This is the time to implement effective measures with a focus on concentrated restrictions, reflecting lessons learned until now.
2. Before the vaccine rollout reaches the majority of the population, people's behavioral changes and the resultant restrictions on human mobility and interpersonal contact should play a major role in curbing the spread of infections. We request the government and the municipalities to ensure implementation of measures, such as swift issuance of business suspension requests and orders, adequate financial support to affected business operators, and application of penalties to those not in compliance with the official instructions.
3. Systems of providing healthcare services are to be enhanced, as well as restricting human mobility. The vaccine rollout, in particular, must be urgently promoted, bearing in mind that the viral evolution is making our battle even tougher. Vaccinations of healthcare workers and the elderly especially should come first. For this to happen, a flexible review of related rules and regulations in response to the crisis, as well as expansion of vaccine administrators beyond doctors and nurses, is prerequisite. We then request the municipalities and healthcare institutions to co-work, in a hurried manner, for developing vaccine administration systems that suit the needs of local communities.
4. We, business leaders, must first face our responsibilities to protect our employees and their families against the virus. We will keep taking on efforts of restricting human mobility and interpersonal contact, by taking more steps such as for disclosing a target of reducing onsite workers and further promotion of teleworking and staggered work times. Keizai Doyukai will strongly remind its members to ensure teleworking and other COVID-19 countermeasures.

Japanese version