Japan: State of emergency to imposed in Osaka, Kyoto; muted coming-of-age festival

Youth including Kimono-clad women wearing protective face masks attend their Coming of Age Day celebration ceremony at Yokohama Arena after the government declared the second state of emergency for the capital and some prefectures, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Yokohama, Japan (Jan 21,2021). - Reuters

TOKYO, Jan 11 (Reuters): The Japanese government has started preparations to expand a state of emergency to the western Japanese prefectures of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo, Jiji news agency reported on Monday.

The three prefectures on Saturday asked the government for expansion of the state of emergency, already in place for Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures, to include their region in an effort to contain the latest Covid-19 outbreak.