Japan's gamblers ignore Abe's toothless Covid-19 emergency order

Concerns have grown as gamblers risk spreading the virus by travelling in search of Pachinko parlours to play in. - Lianhe Zaobao

TOKYO (Bloomberg): Lines outside Tokyo's pachinko parlours show the limits of Japan's ability to enforce social distancing, just as the country heads into a series of holidays that could be key to its attempts to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Pachinko, a US$192 billion industry that lures gamblers with pinball-like machines, has come under scrutiny since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures two weeks ago.