Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday it was “hard” to lift a nationwide state of emergency imposed over the coronavirus next week as local media reported he plans for an extension — possibly by another month. The measure was initially declared on April 7 across seven regions experiencing a spike in infections, but was later expanded to cover the entire country. With the original month-long period coming to an end next week after the country’s annual Golden Week holidays, local media reported that Abe was now expected to extend the measure, either until the end of May or for another full month until June 6.
