Apr 17, 2020 (tokyoreporter.com) - On April 7, Prime Minster Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and six prefectures due to the coronavirus pandemic. This week, the Chiba Prefectural Government followed suit.
For players of the upright pinball game pachinko, the mandates have encouraged the closure of parlors. However, some players are leaving the capital and Chiba for neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture, where the parlors remain open, reports Nippon News Network (Apr. 14).
On Tuesday, a crew with the network saw a number of vehicles with license plates from Tokyo and Chiba parked in lots for a parlor in Ibaraki.
“With no outlet, stress builds up to an unbelievable degree,†one female player told the network. “If a parlor is open, I want to go.â€
For its part, Maruhan Co., Japan’s largest pachinko operator, initially closed 16 parlors in the capital over the weekend of April 4 and 5. However, business resumed as usual on April 6. Maruhan parlors in Kanagawa and Chiba operated as usual over that period.
Things changed following Abe’s declaration on April 7. The following day, Maruhan shuttered 101 parlors in Tokyo the six prefectures in the declaration, including Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures. The figure is roughly one third of Maruhan’s 317 outlets nationwide.
On April 10, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike upped the pressure, revealing a list of businesses, including pachinko parlors, that would be asked to shut to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
