What Japan's COVID threat downgrade means: 5 things to know

Masks, expense coverage, border controls to be reviewed alongside shift to flu status

20230123 Commuters wearing face masks arrive at Shinagawa Station

Commuters wearing face masks arrive at Tokyo's Shinagawa Station on Jan. 20. The government is expected to adjust its advice on masking up, among other changes. (Photo by Yo Inoue)

KENTARO IWAMOTO, Nikkei staff writer

January 23, 2023 12:48 JST

Updated on January 23, 2023 14:10 JST

TOKYO -- Three years after Japan detected its first case of COVID-19, the government is planning its final steps out of crisis mode.

The coronavirus has infected over 32 million people in Japan and killed more than 65,000. Thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths continue to be recorded daily. But Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced last week that his government will downgrade the legal status of the disease to a less threatening category, saying that the country will gradually restore normalcy.