緊急事態宣言めぐり協議　菅首相と関係閣僚―新型コロナ

　菅義偉首相は３日午後、深刻化する新型コロナウイルスの感染状況を受け、東京都など首都圏の知事が政府に再発令の検討を要請した緊急事態宣言について、関係閣僚らと対応を協議した。
　出席したのは加藤勝信官房長官、田村憲久厚生労働相、西村康稔経済再生担当相、赤羽一嘉国土交通相ら。協議後、出席者は「方向性は出ていない」と語った。（2021/01/03-19:17）

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga discussed with related cabinet ministers on Sunday afternoon how the government should respond to the request from the governors of Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures for an emergency declaration over COVID-19 by the state.
   Participants in the discussion included Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, health minister Norihisa Tamura, economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba.
   "We have yet to see any direction," one of the participants said.
   With the new coronavirus spreading relentlessly in the Tokyo metropolitan area, the governors, in a meeting with Nishimura on Saturday, requested the central government to once again declare a state of emergency based on the country's special measures law for tackling the pandemic so that prefectural authorities will be given the power to take stronger measures to curb the viral outbreak. Nishimura, who is in charge of the government's coronavirus responses, had indicated a plan to carefully consider the request.
   The Japanese government made its first emergency declaration over COVID-19 in April last year and lifted it in the following month.