TOKYO -- Hundreds of thousands of Japanese company employees prepared for a long period of home working on Monday as prime minister Shinzo Abe made clear that his government would declare a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Authorities in and around Tokyo and Japan's other big corporate hub of Osaka, as well as Fukuoka, are expected to request that the public stay at home, as part of efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus infections. But the country's constitution gives limited legal authority for curbs on public movement, so large companies' backing for the declaration will be vital.
