Japan's Daily New COVID-19 Cases Explode to Over 8,000 for the First Time Since September Last Year

Trend of new COVID-19 cases in Japan.
Photo by NHK Broadcasting

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] In Japan, which has entered the sixth wave of COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant, the number of new confirmed cases is showing an explosive increase.

On the 8th, NHK reported that the number of newly confirmed COVID-19 infections across Japan exceeded 8,000 for the first time in about four months since September 11 last year. It also reported that the daily maximum number of confirmed cases since last September was recorded in various locations across all 47 prefectures nationwide.

In Tokyo, where the daily new confirmed cases first exceeded 1,000 since September 15 last year, reaching 1,224, the number surged to 16 times that of a week ago. However, based on the reporting date, the number of severe cases in Tokyo increased by one to four within a day, and there were no deaths.

In Okinawa Prefecture, where community infections are increasing centered around U.S. military bases, 1,759 new confirmed cases were announced, marking the highest daily count for three consecutive days. Within the U.S. military bases stationed in Okinawa, a record high of 302 new confirmed cases was also reported. Hiroshima Prefecture and Yamaguchi Prefecture also recorded their highest daily new confirmed cases at 547 and 154, respectively.

In response to the continuous spread, the Japanese government announced that from the 9th until the end of this month, it will apply priority measures equivalent to a state of emergency, such as measures to prevent widespread infection, primarily in these three metropolitan areas. In the areas subject to these priority measures, governors of the prefectures can implement specific measures such as restricting restaurant business hours depending on the region. These measures are being implemented for the first time since the inauguration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's administration on October 4 last year. Accordingly, Okinawa Prefecture has limited restaurant business hours until 9 p.m., while Hiroshima and Yamaguchi Prefectures have restricted restaurant business hours until 8 p.m. and suspended alcohol sales.

Meanwhile, in Japan, during the Olympic and Paralympic period, the fifth wave peaked on August 20 last year, with daily new confirmed cases exceeding 25,000. Afterward, as the vaccination rate increased and the spread of infection subsided, the state of emergency and priority measures were fully lifted. However, since November last year, with the gradual spread of Omicron and a sharp increase in population movement during the year-end and New Year holidays, the number of confirmed cases has again shown a rapid upward trend.

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