U.S. sounds alarm on coronavirus in Japan, Tokyo pushes for state of emergency

TOKYO - The U.S. government on Friday sounded alarm about the surge in coronavirus cases in Japan, adding to a chorus of prominent domestic voices - including the governor of Tokyo - who have called for decisive action to avoid an explosive outbreak.

But the warning from the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to American citizens on Friday singled out Japan's lack of widespread testing so far and gave a sobering assessment of the potential strain on the health care system in a widespread outbreak. If U.S. citizens wanted to return to the United States from Japan they should do so now, or risk remaining abroad for an"indefinite period", it said.

Nobuhiko Okabe, director general of the Kawasaki City Institute for Public Health, said judging the timing for declaring a state of emergency was tough. But experts are worried about the rise in the percentage of cases that can't be traced. As of end-March, the health ministry had counted 26 clusters of infections nationwide.Asked what further steps would be taken in the capital if central government declared a state of emergency, Governor Koike said a Tokyo-style"lockdown" would entail asking people to refrain from holding events and the same kinds of pleas she was already making to residents.

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