Japan's COVID-19 death toll for January topped 10,000 Saturday, according to a tally based on prefectural reports, the first time the country has seen its monthly death toll rise beyond that mark since the start of the pandemic.
COVID-19 deaths have been rapidly increasing in the country since around November, when cases rebounded. More than 7,600 people died in December, the highest monthly total until that was topped by January's figure.
About 54,800 new infections were reported nationwide Saturday, according to prefectural governments, while the health ministry said there are 533 severe cases, down 24 from Friday.
Daily infections have been declining since the middle of the month.
Japan has decided to downgrade the legal status of the coronavirus in May to the same category as seasonal influenza and other common infectious diseases, a major shift that will lead to a further normalization of social and economic activities in the country.