Suga (infographic)
According to Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported on the 27th, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga apologized at the parliament on Wednesday, after reports that senior officials of Japan's ruling coalition ignored the Japanese government's requirement that the public avoid unnecessary outings during the state of emergency and went to a waitress bar in Tokyo's Ginza district.
It is reported that Jun Matsumoto, acting chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, and Kiyohiko Nagayama, acting director of the Komeito Party, both admitted to visiting such bars last week.
At the time of the revelations, the Japanese government was considering extending the state of emergency for about another month from the currently scheduled end date of February 7. This also means that restaurants and bars will be required to shorten their opening hours.
Infographic
Suga said on the House Budget Committee: "We have asked people not to go out, and I feel very sorry."
On January 18, Matsumoto left a restaurant by 9 p.m. to two waitress bars in Ginza, according to an online report in Japan's Weekly Shincho newspaper, and didn't leave until 11 p.m. During the state of emergency, people are asked to stay at home from 8 p.m. and restaurants are also required to close at the same time.
Suga himself came under fire after attending two dinners in Tokyo in mid-December, when the Japanese government urged people not to eat together in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. He later apologized for participating in those events.
On January 7, Japan's central government declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, and six days later extended the state of emergency to seven other prefectures, including Osaka, Aichi, and Fukuoka prefectures.
On Tuesday, Suga acknowledged that Japan's health care system is ill-prepared to deal with the surge in COVID-19 patients and could save more lives if it can be treated appropriately.
(Edit: wdq)