Japan's Abe under fire over Covid-19; to alter emergency declaration law

Japan more than 1,000 cases of the virus including about 700 from a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo last month

Japan is set this week to revise a law allowing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a formal state of emergency over the coronavirus, if needed, as Abe faces persistent criticism for his handling of the outbreak ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

In perhaps his biggest test since returning to office in 2012, Japan's longest-serving premier has come under fire for what critics have called an initial lack of leadership, followed by abrupt steps like school closures that left parents and employers scrambling.

Japan more than 1,000 cases of the virus including about 700 from a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo