Japan is reimposing Covid-19 restrictions in the capital Tokyo, capping travel demand over the country's "golden week" holiday season and further weighing on the economy and fuel demand.
The trade and industry ministrythis week had predicted the country's gasoline and jet fuel demand to rebound in the April 2021-March 2022 fiscal year from 2020-21 lows before resuming a gradual decline over the following four years.
The Japanese government is to formalise its decision later today to reintroduce Covid-19 restrictions on 12 April in Tokyo, as well as Kyoto and Okinawa, following a rebound in the number of infections in the capital and a surge in variant infections in western Japan's Osaka.
The measures are expected to remain effective until 11 May in Tokyo, targeting to rein in the spread of a more contagious variant over the golden week, a string of holidays between 29 April and 5 May. The restrictions are likely to be imposed until 5 May in Kyoto and Okinawa.
Japan is reimposing Covid-19 measures in Tokyo only four weeks after it ended a second state of emergency to gain control over the pandemic with the Tokyo summer Olympics and Paralympics only a few months away.
The Japanese government maintains its entry ban on foreigners and has decided not to accept any overseas spectators at the Tokyo Olympics during July-August this year.
Measures similar to those under a state of emergency will be reimposed, such as a request for bars and restaurants to close after 8pm and a limit to the number of spectators to 5,000 at a major event.
The measures were first reimposed on 5 April in Osaka, where the number of new infections has shot up since late March, exceeding Tokyo's level to hit a record 905 yesterday. Tokyo's daily tally of new infections has stayed above 500 for three days, with its weekly average of cases up by 16pc from the previous week.
But it remains unclear if such non-binding measures will effectively contain Covid-19, while the country's vaccine roll-out has made only limited progress. Japan began its vaccine programme in February but only around 420,000 people have completed vaccinations, accounting for 0.3pc of the country's 127mn population.
