Japan has declared a month-long state of emergency over an increase in corona virus cases, ramping up efforts to contain infections but stopping short of the strict lockdowns seen in other parts of the world.

The government has come under mounting pressure to tackle an outbreak that remains small, but has raised concerns among Japanese medical experts, with warnings that local healthcare systems are already overstretched.

Prime Minister SHINZO ABE while announcing the measures, urged the Japanese people to draw on the sense of togetherness seen after the country’s devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown in 2011.

The decision allows governors in seven affected regions including Tokyo to ask people to stay indoors and request that businesses close, but there are no enforcement mechanisms and no penalties for those who fail to comply.