Commuters crowd Tokyo Station as usual despite COVID-19 quasi-emergency

TOKYO -- Morning commuters defied the Japanese government's coronavirus quasi-emergency measures that took effect in Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa prefectures on April 12, crowding JR Tokyo Station and elsewhere as usual.

Commuter Yoichiro Fujii, a 27-year-old from the capital's Ota Ward, told the Mainichi Shimbun, "I've been keeping up basic countermeasures such as wearing a mask and sanitizing (my hands) frequently. I don't think our daily lives will change even under the quasi-emergency measures." He added, "There's no knowing when the coronavirus pandemic will end, but I'd like to avoid attending crowded gatherings."

Yukiyoshi Maeda, 63, commutes from his home in Ibaraki Prefecture northeast of Tokyo to his office in the capital every morning. "There are many commuters from outside Tokyo. The (quasi-emergency measures) won't have much effect unless the entire capital region is subject to the steps."

Another office worker, Keiko Morita, 53, from Yokohama south of Tokyo commented, "The public has got used to the coronavirus (crisis)." She felt like there were even more people on her usual commuter train this morning than in recent months. "I'm thinking about changing the time I take the train, because I'm worried about the crowding," she said.

(Japanese original by Shintaro Iguchi, City News Department)