Tokyo COVID-19 Cases Exceed 100... Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Says "Not a Rapid Increase"

▲Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jaehee] Despite more than 100 new COVID-19 cases being reported in Tokyo in a single day for the first time since the state of emergency was lifted, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stated that "this is not a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases," sparking controversy.

According to NHK on the 2nd, 107 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Tokyo on that day. This is the first time since the Golden Week holiday on May 2nd that the number of daily confirmed cases in Tokyo has exceeded 100. It is the highest level since the state of emergency was lifted.

As a result, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Tokyo reached 6,399.

Regarding this, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga dismissed concerns by saying, "At this point, the spread of COVID-19 is not rapidly increasing," and added, "This is simply the result of people closely associated with entertainment establishments involving hospitality, such as nightclubs, actively getting tested." He further stated, "It is also true that a considerable number of those infected are young people under their 40s," and emphasized, "We will continue to work closely with Tokyo to prevent the spread of infection while balancing economic activities."

Meanwhile, the increase in COVID-19 cases in Tokyo began at the end of March, with the highest number of 206 cases recorded on April 17th. Although daily new cases exceeded 100 continuously in May, the numbers gradually decreased, maintaining single digits or around ten cases from mid-May onward.

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