New cases of COVID-19 infections jumped to 31 in Kanagawa Prefecture on Tuesday, up from seven the previous day, the largest daily rise in a month, while neighboring Tokyo confirmed 54 cases, recording more than 50 for the fifth straight day.
The daily number in Kanagawa was the largest since May 14, when 32 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Of the 31, 28 cases were reported in Yokohama, public broadcaster NHK reported. Among the 28, the lion's share — 26 — were male employees of a host club in the city.
In Tokyo, Gov. Yuriko Koike and Economic Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is overseeing counter measures for the coronavirus in the central government, met later in the day to discuss the current COVID-19 situation in the capital.
Also Tuesday, the Tokyo government introduced new monitoring criteria to alert Tokyoites of a possible second wave of infections.
Tokyo saw 58, 60 and 57 infections on Monday, Sunday and Saturday, respectively. Many of those are of workers at night-time entertainment establishments, such as host clubs and hostess bars.
Koike has said the recent rise in infections are mainly the product of increased testing, especially for workers in the night-time entertainment industry.