APR 09 , 2020. 4 hours ago – 17:29 KYODO NEWS

The Tokyo metropolitan government is arranging to allow barbers and do-it-yourself stores to operate as usual, a source familiar with the plan said Thursday, as the capital, under a state of emergency, seeks to narrow down its list of business suspensions.

Department stores, outdoor sports facilities, and “izakaya,” or Japanese-style pubs, will also likely be excluded. Izakaya, however, will only be allowed to open until around 8 p.m., according to the source.

As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency on Tuesday for Tokyo and six other prefectures, Gov. Yuriko Koike can request businesses halt operations to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

Tokyo confirmed more than 180 new cases on Thursday, a record daily increase, a metropolitan government official said. The number topped the previous record of 144 marked Wednesday, bringing the total in the Japanese capital to more than 1,500.

With work to finalize the business closure list under way, the central and metropolitan governments are at odds over the scope of businesses that should be considered essential to people’s everyday life.

The Tokyo government had included such businesses as barbers and DIY stores to its draft list, though the Abe government saw the target as too broad.

Both governments have been in consultation over what should be on the list, and Koike plans to announce the final version on Friday so that it can take effect from Saturday.

“We are making arrangements (with the metropolitan government) to keep open barbershops and home centers,” Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan’s economic revitalization minister, told reporters. He is in charge of issues related to the emergency declaration.

Abe’s state of emergency declaration on Tuesday has enabled the governors of the seven prefectures, including Osaka and Fukuoka, to take more powerful steps than before to stop the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Residents have been asked to refrain from unnecessary outings, and Abe has said person-to-person contact needs to be reduced by about 80 percent than usual to prevent an explosive surge in infections.

Grocery shopping, for example, is considered essential, and supermarkets and convenience stores remain open. However, major department store operators, such as Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. and Takashimaya Co., have decided to shut stores in the designated prefectures voluntarily.

“Speed matters because business owners will be in trouble if they don’t know whether to keep their stores open or not,” Koike told reporters.

The other four prefectures for which Abe declared a state of emergency are Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and Hyogo in western Japan.

The government’s policy is that the priority should be to ask residents to stay indoors rather than making closure requests to businesses.

Prefectural governors have been calling for state compensation for businesses that may be asked to halt operations, but the Abe government has so far taken a negative stance on that.

CR: KYODO NEWS