Tokyo, May 24, 2021, SPA -- Japan's top government spokesman on Sunday referred to the possibility of extending a state of emergency over the novel coronavirus in Tokyo, Osaka and seven other prefectures beyond the May 31 expiration date, the Japanese News Agency (Kyodo) reported. The government "will discuss whether to scale down (the state of emergency) to quasi-emergency measures, or to bring (the nine prefectures) back to a normal state if a certain period of continuation of the (state of emergency) declaration significantly improves the situation," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said. --SPA 02:35 LOCAL TIME 23:35 GMT 0003 www.spa.gov.sa/w1561312