Hospitals in Osaka are buckling under a huge wave of new coronavirus infections and running out of beds and ventilators as exhausted doctors warn of a "system collapse," and advise against holding the Olympics this summer.
Osaka Prefecture, home to 9 million people, is suffering the brunt of the fourth wave of the pandemic, accounting for a third of the nation's death toll in May, although it constitutes just 7% of its population.
The speed at which Osaka's health care system was overwhelmed underscores the challenges of hosting a major global sports event in two months' time, particularly as only about half of Japan's medical staff are fully vaccinated.