Central Tokyo crowds cut in half, but people still commuting

Despite state of emergency declaration, not all Japanese are staying at home

Commuters head toward Tokyo Station in the capital's Marunouchi business district on April 8. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)

EIKI HAYASHI, Nikkei staff writer

April 9, 2020 04:51 JST

TOKYO -- Fewer people were on the streets in Japan on Wednesday, a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency, though data shows crowds are not as thin as coronavirus hot spots in foreign countries like the U.S. and France.

There were 46% fewer people in Tokyo's Marunouchi business district at 8 a.m. Wednesday compared with the year-earlier Wednesday, according to consultancy GiXo, which used location histories from NTT Docomo to gather data.