Japanese companies are temporarily shutting offices or suspending production as they battle a record wave of COVID-19, disrupting businesses in a country that has until now weathered the pandemic better than most advanced economies.
Automakers Toyota and Daihatsu last week halted production on line shifts because of employee infections. KFC Holdings Japan has had to shut some fast-food restaurants and move staff to fill gaps, while Japan Post has temporarily shut more than 200 mailing centers.
Japan's tally of COVID-19 cases has surged past those of other countries as the full impact of the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants dominating around the world hits home. Japan had more than 1.4 million new cases over the past week, World Health Organization data showed.