Chairman Kobayashi’s Comments on
Lifting of Japan’s Third State of Emergency

June 18, 2021

The Japanese government has now lifted the latest state of emergency for all nine areas except Okinawa Prefecture. Not only is this is a significant first step towards normalizing socioeconomic activity, but it is also a testament to the tremendous efforts by our central and local governments, our business community and our citizens to curb the spread of COVID-19. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my admiration and respect for Japan’s healthcare workers, who have worked so heroically throughout the pandemic.

The news, however, is not all positive. People are also starting to go out more, and with the scientific community having confirmed that new variants of the coronavirus are even more infectious, concerns remain about another resurgence in cases. Although the central government has lifted the state of emergency, the local authorities in most of the nine areas have chosen to maintain their quasi-emergency measures.

I would like to request Japan’s political leaders to continue doing all they can to both encourage citizens to get vaccinated and strengthen our country’s testing and treatment capabilities. Furthermore, considering how damaging the three states of emergency have been to socioeconomic activity in Japan, I will also be looking to the government to provide swift and effective support to the growing number of businesses across our country that are struggling.

The JFTC pledges to work hand in hand with its member companies to connect with Japan’s central and local governments and all others concerned in the fight against COVID-19. Together, we will do our best to end this pandemic once and for all. We will continue to promote digitalization and work-from-home systems, make efforts to improve vaccination accessibility for employees and others, and devise other steps that may be necessary to ensure business continuity and development.