Osaka Pachinko hall will be forced to close

Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura has indicated he is considering closure instructions if the hall continues to operate.

Japan.- A Pachinko hall in Osaka will be forced to close if it continues to ignore requests to close its doors during the Coronavirus crisis.

Osaka prefecture governor, Hirofumi Yoshimura, has indicated he is considering closure instructions if the hall continues to operate despite a state of emergency in the country.

His enforcement is based on the revised Act on Special Measures for Pandemic Influenza and New Infectious Diseases Preparedness and Response, where pachinko parlours can be forced to close in Sakai City if they ignore or don’t respond to the prefecture’s closure requests.

This will be the first time in Japan such enforcement has been issued, but the governor will not refrain if necessary during these unprecedented times.

He said: “I will implement this as a political decision to protect the lives of residents of this prefecture in two days’ time (April 30).”