Lower House Committee Passes Bill On Coronavirus
A Lower House committee in Japan's Diet has passed a bill that would allow the prime minister to declare a state of emergency to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
The bill was approved on Wednesday with a majority vote from the governing Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner Komeito, as well as the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, Democratic Party for the People, Nippon Ishin and others.
The bill is expected to be voted through the Lower House plenary session on Thursday and will then be sent to the Upper House.
