Japan To Fully Lift COVID-19 Restrictions As Infections Slow

The COVID-19 restrictions currently in place in 18 prefectures, including the Tokyo area, will end Monday.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday announced plans to fully lift coronavirus restrictions on March 21 as new infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant slow.

The COVID-19 restrictions currently in place in 18 prefectures, including the Tokyo area, will end Monday as planned, Kishida said at a news conference Wednesday, as his government seeks to cautiously expand consumer activity to help the badly hurt economy get back on track.

"This will be a transitional period so that we can return to our normal daily lives as much as possible by taking maximum precautions," Kishida said.