Health minister Shigeyuki Goto said Tuesday the country has boosted its medical capacity so it can admit 37,000 patients to hospitals, up 30% from this summer, in preparation for a possible resurgence of the coronavirus.

Goto told a news conference that the government has met its goal of securing more hospital beds, officially decided in November, after many people were forced to recuperate at home during this summer's fifth wave of infections.

But he said the government will review its policy when required as concerns mount over the omicron variant. "We will be flexible in coming up with a way of offering medical care," Goto said.