Tokyo Gov. calls to extend state of emergency

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike on Wednesday called for an extension of Japan's nationwide state of emergency, which requests people to stay home and social distance, to stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.

Tokyo is still facing a serious situation and so I would like to have it go on longer, she told reporters.

She noted reported daily cases of COVID-19 in Tokyo have topped 100 people recently.

Japan has had about 400 deaths so far nationwide, 100 of them in Tokyo.

The state of emergency, declared by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, lasts through May 6, which marks the end of the Golden Week holidays that began this week. The government has asked people not to travel during the holidays. There is no lockdown in Japan, and some businesses and restaurants remain open.

But the usually jam-packed commuter trains and streets of Tokyo have thinned out, and at times look abandoned.

Worries remain another surge of cases could be ahead if people let go of social distancing restrictions.