The Japanese government plans to extend a state of emergency to combat COVID-19 for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures until March 21, two weeks longer than originally scheduled, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Friday.

Under the state of emergency, the government has requested restaurants and bars close by 8 p.m. and stop serving alcohol an hour earlier. 

People have also been asked to stay home after 8 p.m. unless they have essential reasons to go out.

Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures, which make up 30 percent of the country's population, sought the extension past the originally scheduled end date of March 7 as new coronavirus cases had not fallen enough to meet targets.

The government had an early morning meeting with advisers and they approved the extension, Nishimura, who is in charge of the government's coronavirus response, told reporters. 

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is scheduled to hold a news conference at 9:00 p.m. local time (1200 GMT), according to his office.