TOKYO - Yusuke Aoi has seen earnings at his traditional Tokyo bar plunge since the coronavirus pandemic began last year - and fears the area’s second state of emergency could deliver a final blow.
As last time, restaurants and bars are asked to close by 8 p.m. and stop serving alcohol an hour earlier, with government subsidies available to those which abide by the requests. Aoi’s izakaya has seen sales slump 70 percent since the pandemic as more people worked from home and avoided crowded spaces. They have now started serving lunches, but still can’t make ends meet.
Tokyo-based Teikoku Databank said this week bankruptcies in the sector hit a high of 780 in 2020, up from the previous record of 732, and many izakaya owners fear the worst.
Harsh to watch
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