Delighted to discover that the Japanese Prime Minister& #39;s idea of emergency shutdown is politely asking people to stay at home -- which, as this is Japan, would work IF they were offering any support for small businesses, which they have instead forcefully refused.
So: businesses should close, but do not have to. Big businesses can survive a shutdown and many are choosing to (good on them!) but Japan is a land of tiny little restaurants and bars, often the owner& #39;s retirement livelihood. If they close *they will go bankrupt*. They *cannot*.