Japan's new COVID-19 cases topped a record high 186,000 on Thursday, with Tokyo, Osaka and many other prefectures reporting record daily figures as the country grapples with a seventh wave of infections spurred by the highly transmissible BA.5 omicron subvariant.
Tokyo's new cases hit 31,878, topping 30,000 for the first time.
The latest figures come after the daily tally across Japan topped 150,000 on Wednesday, which was a record, and new cases in Tokyo exceeded 20,000 for the first time since Feb. 5. The previous record in the capital was 21,562 cases, posted on Feb. 2.