Japan Reports 4,475 New COVID-19 Cases... Approximately 1 in 2 Infected with Omicron Variant

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] As new COVID-19 cases surge in Japan, analysts say the country is entering the early stages of the sixth wave. In particular, the U.S. military bases in Japan are being pointed out as the main culprits spreading the new Omicron variant.

According to NHK on the 6th, the number of newly confirmed cases nationwide was provisionally tallied at 4,475. This is about a 70% increase from the previous day (2,638), marking the highest in over three months since the state of emergency was in effect in Tokyo and other areas on September 18 last year (4,700 cases).

During the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics period, the fifth wave peaked on August 20 last year, with daily new cases exceeding 25,000.

However, due to factors such as increased vaccination rates, new infections subsided afterward, leading to the lifting of the state of emergency and "priority measures to prevent spread" that had been in effect in 27 of the 47 prefectures nationwide, including Tokyo, from October 1 last year.

Afterward, the number of new cases dropped to below 200 until mid-December last year, but surged again during the year-end and New Year holidays when the floating population increased sharply.

Japanese experts point out that the resurgence indicates that the more contagious Omicron variant is replacing other strains as the main source of infection.

According to the Asahi Shimbun, Omicron infections were confirmed for the first time in six prefectures including Aomori the previous day, increasing the number of prefectures with Omicron cases to 36 out of 47 nationwide.

Osaka Prefecture Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi, where new infections rose from 244 the previous day to 505, said the speed of infection spread is fast and called it "the early stage of the sixth wave."

The area with the highest number of infections is Okinawa, where it is pointed out that COVID-19, including Omicron, is spreading through the U.S. military bases in Japan, which have lax quarantine systems.

The spread of infections in Okinawa Prefecture, where U.S. military bases in Japan are concentrated, is the most severe. On this day, 981 new cases were identified in Okinawa, breaking the previous record of 809 set on August 2 last year. This is nearly 20 times the number from a week ago (50 cases).

The U.S. military reported 162 new cases. The U.S. military's lax quarantine measures are cited as the cause of the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the U.S. military did not conduct PCR tests on personnel traveling from the U.S. to Japan from September 3 to late December last year.

There were even incidents where U.S. military personnel went out without masks or were arrested for drunk driving, causing problems.

The omission of PCR tests was disclosed belatedly, and by the time the Japanese government demanded thorough measures, Omicron had already spread inside and outside the bases.

In Yamaguchi Prefecture, where the U.S. military Iwakuni base is located, confirmed cases increased from 104 the previous day to 181, with 81 of the confirmed cases residing in Iwakuni City where the base is located.

Cluster infections continue around U.S. military bases across Japan, including 69 and 12 confirmed cases at the U.S. Navy Atsugi base and Army Camp Zama in Kanagawa Prefecture, respectively, as of the previous day.

Okinawa Governor Tamaki Denny said, "One of the major causes of the spread of Omicron infections is undoubtedly the U.S. military bases," and added, "I want to demand thorough countermeasures."

Amid rising criticism of the U.S. military's lax quarantine, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the same day, requesting strengthened infection prevention measures including restrictions on outings by U.S. military personnel in Japan.

The U.S. Forces Japan announced that during the so-called restriction period, which applies until a negative test result is obtained, masks must be worn mandatorily in public places and facilities within the bases, and when going outside the bases, masks must be worn thoroughly regardless of vaccination status.

On this day, Tokyo also recorded a significant increase with 641 new cases, up from 390 the previous day, making it difficult to avoid nationwide infection spread.

It is estimated that one in two new cases in Japan is infected with Omicron. In Okinawa, where the spread is severe, the proportion of suspected Omicron cases reached 73%, while Tokyo recorded 34%.

The Japanese government plans to decide on the 7th whether to apply priority measures, a pre-state of emergency infection control measure, to three prefectures with severe spread: Okinawa, Yamaguchi, and Hiroshima.

In areas where priority measures are applied, local governors can request or order restaurants and other businesses to shorten operating hours, and business owners who violate this may be fined up to 200,000 yen. Okinawa Prefecture plans to request shortened restaurant operating hours.

If priority measures are applied to Okinawa and other prefectures, it will be the first case since the Kishida administration took office on October 4 last year.

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