Japan's cumulative total of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 1 million on Friday as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread in many parts of the country.
The development came as many prefectures have witnessed their daily confirmed cases hit record highs in recent days. Japan confirmed its first COVID-19 case on Jan. 15 last year.
Friday saw a record high 15,645 new cases reported across the country, according to a tally by NHK. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported an additional 4,515 cases while Osaka Prefecture logged a record 1,310 infections, amid growing concern about a potential collapse of the medical system in the country due to a resurgence of the virus.