Stunted by lost sales since the government declared a new state of emergency two weeks ago for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures over the novel coronavirus and shortened their business hours, many restaurants are turning to home delivery services.

On November 15, the heads of 15 Asia-Pacific nations – including China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia – signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Representing a total population of 2.2 billion, the world’s biggest free trade agreement marked the emergence of the Asian era.