The state of emergency, which scheduled to be expired on 6 May, has been extended.
MEASURES
- On 4 May, the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has extended the country’s state of emergency until the end of May (31 May 2020).
IMPACT ON FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
- Following the extension on the state of emergency, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) announced that during the extended state of emergency, businesses in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and food related industries shall continue operate with the implementations of recommended measures, including taking temperature of employees, and employees who have relevant symptoms are disallowed to work. In addition, the MAFF will continue to monitor the food supply situation in Japan during the extended state of emergency.
- Amid the state of emergency in Japan, on 1 May, the MAFF issued the latest food supply status in Japan. For manufacturers, the demand for products continues to rise. In order to meet the needs of consumers, the manufacturers (frozen products, flour and flour products) continue to operate in full production and some of the manufacturers (instant noodles, retort food) will continue to increase their production to support the adequate supply of food. In addition to increasing the capacity of manufacturing, some of the manufacturers have shifted their manufacturing focus in order to produce products in high demands (rice, udon). Also, there have been some delays in terms of the shipments of food products (pasta) to Japan too.