Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has again called on the public for more cooperation in the fight against virus, as infections in cities continue to rise.  

The number of COVID-19 cases in Japan is increasing rapidly, amidst a nationwide state of emergency. Experts say Japan is the only country in East Asia that has continued rise in the number of COVOD-19 cases showing no sign of flattening the curve. Japan took the wrong steps from the beginning of the outbreak in the country.

MASAHIRO KAMI Executive Director, Medical Governance Research Institute "Japan made a mistake of adopting an old procedure for the new virus outbreak. Such as the prevention of cholera and dysentery. When a patient comes in from overseas, find the infected person at the airports or ports, quarantine the person, and whom they have had contact with for further inspection. If they become positive, they are forced to be admitted to the hospital. It is not perfect. The irony is that the classical response initially worked at the beginning, so the authorities thought no widespread PCR testing was necessary. That was a big mistake."  

Many experts believe that the government response was slow and inadequate. The state of emergency should have been issued in February. It is the lack of field experience by the bureaucrats who advise the cabinet for the course of action to take.   

MASAHIRO KAMI Executive Director, Medical Governance Research Institute "High-ranking bureaucrats with medical licenses lead the Japanese bureaucracy and advise in medical care. They only go through a few years of training after graduating from university medical school. Then they become bureaucrats, an administrative officer. No more field experience, so they do not know the latest medical information. Advising according to old manuals."

The late government response and the lack of public sense of danger are feared to prolong Japan's COVID-19 outbreak.

TERRENCE TERASHIMA Tokyo "I am standing in front of one of the busiest stations in Tokyo. It looks like there are not many people out and about, but there are still hundreds and thousands of people commuting in and out of Tokyo every day. The state of emergency has kept people out of the streets, but it has not prevented people from traveling from home to the offices."  

According to surveys, there is a 60 to 70 percent decrease in the people in central parts of major cities in Japan.  But ironically, people are taking advantage of being allowed out for daily needs. And choose to enjoy taking a stroll in nearby shopping malls, creating a cluster of potential infectious situations. 

Doctors warn that if this continues, Japan will continue to see a rise in numbers of COVID-19 patients, and hospitals will be over capacity before summer. Terrence Terashima, CGTN, Tokyo.