Japan has banned alcohol at dining and other establishments for the state of emergency imposed in Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures Friday.
"We must take strong measures in a focused manner while many people are on break during Golden Week to bring the virus under control," Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said during a parliamentary session.
The emergency declaration from April 25 to May 11 will cover around 25% of Japan's population and about a third of its economy. It will come just three months ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
But some sectors argued the period was too short and called for extending the state of emergency to three weeks.
Under the new state of emergency, nightclubs, restaurants and karaoke bars serving alcohol will be ordered to close, and major sporting events to be held without spectators, Japan's Economic Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said.
Japan has confirmed five cases of infection with a "double mutant" COVID-19 variant, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said Thursday.
A Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare committee estimates these types of variants, mainly a type first detected in Britain, are responsible for around 80% of all cases in Osaka and Hyogo.
The state of emergency will also see commercial facilities including department stores and shopping malls shutting down, with the exception of floor space to sell daily necessities.
Schools will not be ordered shut. Publicly operated museums and theme parks are expected to be closed.
"We absolutely have to limit the movement of people, and we have to do it decisively. We need powerful, short and focused measures," Nishimura said, as he asked people to stay home.
