Japan's COVID-19 Cases Surpass South Korea's... Over 500 Cases for Four Consecutive Days

As of the 18th, Japan reports 11,145 confirmed cases
South Korea has 10,653... the gap is likely to widen further

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is removing his mask before starting a press conference on the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on the 17th.

The number of daily new cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Japan has exceeded 500 for the fourth consecutive day.

According to NHK's compilation of announcements from various local governments, 584 new cases were reported in Japan on the 18th. Including 712 passengers from the cruise ship "Diamond Princess," the total number of confirmed cases reached 11,145.

As of midnight on the 18th, the number of confirmed cases in Japan surpassed South Korea's cumulative total of 10,653.

Recently, Japan's daily new cases have remained in the 500s, while South Korea's daily new cases have stayed in the range of 10 to 20.

Based on this trend, the gap in the number of confirmed cases between the two countries is expected to widen over time.

The death toll in Japan also exceeded South Korea's 232 deaths as of midnight on the 18th by 5.

The number of deaths among COVID-19 patients in Japan increased by 17 to reach 237.

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, 181 additional COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Tokyo to 2,975.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.