Society

Japan's cities get quieter after dark amid virus

Apr 11 (NHK) - Data from an IT firm shows a sharp drop in night-time visitors to parts of Japanese cities that are usually bustling, after the government declared a state of emergency in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.

Yahoo Japan estimated crowd sizes in several downtown areas by gathering information on where its service users were. It had obtained their consent for the step.

The number of visitors between 8 p.m. and midnight on Wednesday in Tokyo's Chuo Ward, which contains the Ginza district, plunged 71 percent from the average for early February.

Tokyo's Minato Ward, home to the Akasaka and Roppongi districts, saw a drop of 55 percent.

The number plummeted 67 percent in Osaka City's Kita Ward and fell 51 percent in Fukuoka City's Hakata Ward. Both cities are in western Japan.

The central government declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and six other prefectures on Tuesday.

The figure also dropped nearly 44 percent in Nagoya City's Naka district in the central prefecture of Aichi. This came even though that prefecture is not under a state of emergency.

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