The setting was different. The tone was more subdued. And the sense of urgency was clearer in perhaps the most important news conference held by a Japanese leader in the postwar era.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on April 7 pleaded for the public to cooperate with the government and local officials to prevent the novel coronavirus outbreak from spiraling out of control, saying the next few weeks will be critical.

“Many lives will certainly be saved through such actions,” Abe said after declaring a state of emergency for seven prefectures. “I express my heartfelt appreciation to each and every one of you for your cooperation. To be frank, we will not be able to overcome this state of emergency only through the efforts of the central or local governments.”

Abe’s news conference, directed at a national audience, was held in the main hall on the second floor of the prime minister’s office rather than the normal press room on the first floor.

Only one reporter from each of the 19 media organizations that are full-time members of the press club attached to the prime minister’s office were allowed to attend. Ten other journalists, including freelancers and reporters from other organizations, were chosen through a lottery to join.

Sufficient space was set up between the chairs used by the reporters, rather than the normal rows of seats close to each other. The reporters wore face masks to the news conference.

And in a highly unusual move, Abe had Shigeru Omi, an expert on infectious diseases, sitting by his side to handle questions of a more technical nature.

Omi, president of the Japan Community Healthcare Organization, also chairs the government’s panel of experts whose opinion was heard on April 7 before Abe decided to declare the state of emergency.

The prime minister said there was a need for the public to greatly change their daily habits to stem the spread of the coronavirus. He asked residents to cooperate with requests issued by the seven prefectural governments covered under the state of emergency declaration and refrain from leaving their homes for nonessential purposes.

Abe also expressed sympathy for what the public has gone through since the coronavirus infections began spreading.

“Our lives were drastically altered over the past two months,” he said. “Concerts you had so looked forward to were canceled. Parties with friends had to be canceled. You have been unable to go where you want to. You cannot meet with people you are close to. You lost the daily life you had in the past.”

But he stressed that people in the prefectures covered by the state of emergency declaration do not have to lock themselves in at home.

“There will be nothing wrong with going for a walk or jogging,” Abe said.

Again, he stressed the importance of staying away from unventilated and congested spaces that carry the risk of close contact with many people.

Bars, night clubs, karaoke parlors and live houses should be avoided, he said.

“I ask you to refrain from attending drinking parties and to not hold parties involving a large number of people,” Abe said.

With Omi sitting beside him, Abe repeatedly stressed that the decision to declare a state of emergency was based on the opinions of the expert panel.

Omi himself fielded a number of questions from reporters.

One reason Abe may have depended on the expert panel’s opinion is the negative view held by the public over how the government has dealt with the coronavirus problem so far.

The national TV network centered on Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc. (TBS) conducted a public opinion survey on April 4-5 that found only 31 percent of respondents approved of the government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, compared with 55 percent who disapproved.

When Abe was asked why the public should remain at home as much as possible, he said, “One calculation by the experts is that if opportunities for contact with other people are reduced by at least 70 percent and, if possible, by as much as 80 percent, the current daily increase in new coronavirus infections will move toward a decrease in about two weeks’ time.”

When a reporter pointed out that Abe’s earlier request to close all schools did little to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Abe acknowledged that was the case. But he added that the state of emergency declaration was based on the recommendation of health experts.

The state of emergency covers the seven prefectures of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka and will be in effect until at least May 6.

“It is no exaggeration to say the Japanese economy is now facing the greatest crisis of the postwar era,” Abe said.

He also stressed that time could not be wasted because the medical system was facing a crisis situation.

Abe said if coronavirus infections continue to increase at the current pace in Tokyo, “there would be 10,000 infections in two weeks and more than 80,000 infected individuals in a month’s time.”

At the same time, Abe repeated that the declaration would not lead to lockdowns that have been implemented in a number of foreign nations.

The April 7 news conference was Abe’s fourth regarding the coronavirus outbreak. It was also the longest, at about 67 minutes.

Eiichi Hasegawa, the Cabinet public relations secretary who was criticized in the past for cutting off news conferences when some reporters were still waiting to ask questions, took a more conciliatory tone when announcing the end of the April 7 news conference.

He said any reporter who had not been called on to ask a question could submit written ones that would be passed on to the prime minister.

(This article was compiled from reports by Ryo Aibara and Ryutaro Abe.)