Japan: Osaka reports zero new coronavirus cases for first time since March

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Osaka prefecture in Japan on May 17 reported no new cases of coronavirus. According to reports, this is the first time there have been no new reported cases since March 9. Two other prefectures, Chiba and Kyoto also reported no new coronavirus cases. Tokyo confirmed only five new cases of the virus.

Plunging coronavirus cases

As per reports, nationwide Japan only recorded 29 new cases. The country has reported a total of 16,258 coronavirus cases. 8 new coronavirus deaths take the country’s death toll to 744. In addition to the capital, new cases were also recorded in Hokkaido, which confirmed 8 new cases. Eight other prefectures also recorded new coronavirus cases.

According to reports, Tokyo, Osaka and six other prefectures currently remain under the state of emergency. The Japanese government will reportedly assess the situation in these regions on May 21 and decided if restrictions are to be lifted.

Economy hard hit

As of May 18, the Cabinet Office of Japan reported a 3.4 per cent drop in the gross domestic product, or GDP for the January-March period, indicating that country’s economic growth plunged into recession in the first quarter. This comes as the novel coronavirus pandemic halted production, exports, and spending. Therefore, the exports dived 21.8 per cent, private residential investments slumped by nearly 17 per cent, and household consumption declined at 3.1 per cent, shrinking the world's third-largest economy by 0.9 per cent from the prior quarter, as per reports.

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As the country entered a recession, the annualized drop rate stood at a shocking 3.4 per cent in the second quarterly contraction amid the restrictions on economic activity due to the COVID-19 outbreak. As per the report by analysts, several other major economies would face recession like Japan, as the households limit spending and businesses slash investments, and the situation is expected to get worse since WWII. According to the latest figures, Japan has entered a technical recession, as its economy contracted 1.9 per cent in October-December, and was a mere 0.5 per cent in April-June, and the growth remained flat in July-September.

(Image Credit AP)

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