Dec 31, 2020 (NHK) - Railway operators in the Tokyo metropolitan area say they will not run trains all night on New Year's Eve into New Year's Day due to the coronavirus outbreak.
East Japan Railway, or JR East, is to halt all-night services on the Yamanote and other lines, as well as a special service operated in time for the first sunrise of the year.
Other companies, including Tokyo Metro, Keio, Keikyu, Keisei and Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit, which operates the Rinkai Line, also will not run all-night trains through New Year's Eve.
The governors of Tokyo and three prefectures bordering the capital had requested railway operators not to provide all-night services.
Temples, shrines and seasonal events normally draw large crowds in the Tokyo region at the turn of the year.
But giant advertising screens on buildings overlooking a popular scramble crossing near Tokyo's Shibuya Station will be turned off earlier than usual on New Year's Eve, as part of efforts to dissuade people from gathering amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Meiji Jingu, a major shrine in Shibuya Ward, will shut its gates from the evening of December 31 till the morning of January 1, while calling on people to stagger their visits over the coming weeks to avoid congestion.
