Tokyo

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases said that 94.5% of omicron patients tested positive within seven days of coming into contact with the virus and 99.2% within 10 days.

Some experts are optimistic that more treatment options, a high vaccination rate and and a so-far lower mortality rate could herald a transition from pandemic to endemic.

The occupancy rate of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in Tokyo stood at 46.1%, up 1.7 percentage points from Thursday.

The number of people moving into Tokyo in 2021 totaled 420,167, down 12,763 from the previous year, while the number of those leaving the capital totaled 414,734, up 12,929.

The slowdown in Tokyo inflation signals just how different Japan is from other major economies where surging consumer prices are pushing central banks to rein in pandemic-era stimulus.

Tokyo confirmed 14,086 new cases, setting a new record high as the seven-day average of daily new infections rose above 10,000.

Rising demand from dual-income households and increasing construction costs are boosting the capital’s once-moribund housing market.

Companies and local governments are drawing up measures to keep business going even if many staffers can't work due to infection or being deemed a close contact.

Japan's death toll from the coronavirus rose by 78 from a week earlier to 18,522.

The rapid spread of the omicron variant seems to be having less of an impact in people's behavior compared to previous waves of the coronavirus.

Several prefectures reported record-high cases on Saturday, including Tokyo, which topped 10,000 cases for the first time, and Osaka, which logged 7,375 cases and two deaths.

According to the survey, the average pedestrian traffic dropped in 12 of the 15 surveyed locations in Tokyo between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.