Japan’s Abe Seeks to Defuse Virus Criticism With Cash, Testing

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to defuse criticism of his handling of the coronavirus outbreak by pledging support for those who lose income and promising to expand testing.

In his first full press conference on the infection, Abe said he would use the remaining $2.5 billion in reserves from the current year’s budget to draw up a second package within the next 10 days to tackle the virus and its economic fallout.

Abe, who has taken a relatively relaxed approach to the viral infection since it broke out in China late last year, shocked many when he urged the country’s schools to close for about a month from Monday.

“School closures are a burden on parents,” he said. “But what is most important is the health and safety of the children. We have to prepare against the risk of infection, so I’m asking for your understanding.”

The new virus package will include support for small firms hit by the virus-triggered economic slowdown. Parents who lose income because they must take time off work due to school closures will be compensated, he said.

Abe said he had heard many complaints that people who wished to be tested for the virus had been refused by public health centers. He said he would tackle the issue by increasing private sector capacity, and that a new 15-minute test was also under development. More than 4,000 tests are currently possible each day in Japan, he said.

Limited Virus Testing in Japan Masks True Scale of Infection

Cases of the viral illness have been increasing nationwide, with the northern island of Hokkaido declaring a state of emergency on Friday and urging people to refrain from going out this weekend.

More than 200 cases have been found in Japan, excluding those on the Diamond Princess cruise liner which was quarantined in Yokohama.

The government has asked for large scale sports and cultural events be canceled, postponed or scaled down for the next two weeks.

Abe told reporters the road to bringing the virus under control would be a hard one, but he was determined to protect the health and safety of the people.

“Fighting something we can’t see and don’t fully understand is not easy,” he said. “The government cannot be victorious in the battle alone. We need the understanding and cooperation of each and every one of the people.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo at ireynolds1@bloomberg.net;Emi Nobuhiro in Tokyo at enobuhiro@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kazunori Takada at ktakada17@bloomberg.net, Kana Nishizawa

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