A hospital in Tokyo reported nine coronavirus cases Thursday in a suspected cluster infection, only a few days after Japan completely lifted a state of emergency over the pandemic.
As fears grew over a possible second wave of infections in the country, the health ministry has dispatched a cluster response team to Kitakyushu, which has seen a sudden rise in cases following three weeks with no new infections.
Also Thursday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 15 additional cases in the capital, confirming more than 10 new infections for the third consecutive day since Tuesday, a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted the state of emergency. The city had seen a continued decline in numbers last week.