While new COVID-19 cases are decreasing, Kansai is not yet out of the woods
“Although we’re finally starting to see a decrease in the number of Kansai-area infections, we have to see whether this trend will continue," a prominent medical adviser said.
COVID-19 tracker: Undisclosed 121 Kobe virus deaths push Japan's daily toll to 216
Tokyo and Osaka registered significant drops in cases compared to last Tuesday, while Okinawa logged a record 168 infections.
The measure, which had already covered Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures, will be in place until at least May 31.
Hiroshima, Hyogo and Okayama take Olympic torch relay off roads
The three prefectures in western Japan become the latest to cancel legs of the event on public roads as coronavirus case surge.
Suga support rate hits new low after virus emergency extension
Asked whether they approved of his government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, 63% of respondents to a JNN survey said they did not, a 13 percentage point increase.
The country recorded 148 deaths, while COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms hit an all-time high of 1,131 as the daily number of new infections topped 6,000, the highest since mid-January.
Emergency extended until end of May and expanded to Aichi and Fukuoka
While dining establishments will be asked to continue to close by 8 p.m. and not sell alcohol, measures related to department stores and events will be eased.
Worry and skepticism abound as Japan plans to expand virus emergency
Some are unsure whether the measures can bring down the number of infections.
Likelihood of extended state of emergency grows as Suga meets with key Cabinet members
A formal decision by the central government is expected as early as Friday.
COVID-19 tracker: Osaka governor hints at 'difficulty' in avoiding virus emergency extension
The comments came as Osaka Prefecture reported 884 new COVID-19 cases and Tokyo confirmed 609 infections amid a surge in highly infectious variants of the virus.
COVID-19 tracker: Record number of seriously ill patients as coronavirus variants rage across Japan
The number of patients with serious symptoms hit a record for a second straight day Sunday as concerns about the country's strained medical system grow.
Few people traveling as Japan's Golden Week kicks off amid virus spike
With Tokyo now under a third state of emergency, large shopping facilities remain closed and there were fewer people on the move for the annual holiday period.
