Jul 16 , 2020. 42 minutes ago – 16:13 KYODO NEWS

TOKYO – The government said Thursday it will seek ways to move ahead with a planned domestic travel initiative, as calls are growing for a review of the program amid a resurgence in new coronavirus cases.

“We want to revitalize regional economies to help their communities out of the severe situation by supporting local tourism and restaurants,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.

The government is seeking to implement the plan in the face of increasing concern that the travel promotion campaign could add to a resurgence of virus infections in Japan.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government will ask infection experts for ways to carry out the Go To Travel Campaign safely. The program is aimed at spurring domestic trips and consumer spending to rejuvenate the virus-stricken economy.

Starting on July 22, the government will subsidize accommodation and transport fees under the campaign. It plans to initially provide discounts worth 35 percent of a tourist’s total costs with a further 15 percent covered by coupons to be issued after September for food, shopping and other travel activities.

At a meeting of its coronavirus task force’s subcommittee Thursday, infection experts will discuss how to prevent the virus spreading while seeking to revive the economy, Suga said.

The number of new coronavirus infections rose by 454, the largest since a state of emergency was lifted in late May, to 22,982 on Wednesday, the day when Tokyo raised its infection alert to the highest level. The capital reported a single-day record of 286 new cases Thursday.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has called on residents to avoid nonessential travel to other prefectures.

Opposition parties and local governments have urged the central government to delay the initiative or start it with limited areas, while some regions are reeling from recent torrential rain.

Yukio Edano, who heads the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said it is not the right time to promote tourism.

“We need to stop and rethink it,” he said.

Shimane Gov. Tatsuya Maruyama said he is opposed to the nationwide travel promotion, while Kitakyushu Mayor Kenji Kitahashi said the plan could be postponed to August.

Toshio Nakagawa, president of the Japan Medical Association, called on the central government to implement the initiative in an “extremely cautious” manner.

The program was originally planned to start after coronavirus infections are contained and “it’s not a good idea to bring it forward,” he said at a press conference Wednesday.

CR:KYODO NEWS