May 05 (Kyodo) - Workers in eateries, tourism and other industries hit by the new coronavirus pandemic as well as parents appealed to the government for more financial and other support as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe extended the nationwide state of emergency on Monday by over three weeks.
"Unless (the government) offers sufficient compensation and legally enforces business closures, we are left in limbo. I wonder if our voices are heard at all," said Yoshihiko Kitamura, 40, who has been forced to cut business hours of his Italian restaurant in Susukino, a major entertainment district in Hokkaido.
Hokkaido, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka and eight other prefectures are being kept under close monitoring by the government as Abe extended the nationwide state of emergency, initially effective through Wednesday, until the end of May.
In Tokyo, a 40-year-old man said an interior decorating contract he was involved in with a department store cannot be completed by mid-June as planned now that businesses have been asked to delay their reopening.
"I have to ask workers we have secured for the job to stand by at home," he said.
In Okinawa, an island prefecture in southern Japan and popular tourist destination, Chokei Taira, the 65-year-old owner of local hotel chain Kariyushi Group Holdings Co., said, "I understand it's important to contain the coronavirus pandemic swiftly. But our business faces enormous difficulties so I hope we'll be allowed to resume operations in stages by the summer season."
Hiroto Mizuno, 48, who runs a restaurant specializing in Okinawa cuisine in the central prefecture of Gifu but can now operate for only a few hours a day, said, "Given the circumstances, an extension can't be helped but I'm currently behind in repaying my loans. If this situation continues, it will be very difficult to stay in business."
