Japan prepares to alter law to allow emergency declaration amid COVID-19 outbreak

Japan is set this week to revise a law allowing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency for the COVID-19 outbreak if the disease poses a "grave danger" to lives and if its rapid spread could have a huge impact on the economy.

Abe said the bill is designed to keep the impact on people's lives to a minimum while preparing for a worst-case scenario, adding that Japan is now at a critical juncture in terms of whether the outbreak will spread further or come to an end.

Japan has more than 1,200 coronavirus cases including about 700 from a cruise ship, NHK reported. 16 people have died, including seven from the Diamond Princess ocean liner.