The weekly number of newly confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Japan has increased for the first time in eight weeks.

As of 10 a.m. Monday (1 a.m. GMT), the cumulative number of infection cases, including among cruise ship passengers and crew members, came to 440,708, up by 7,267 from a week before. The increase was larger than the preceding week’s 7,083.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa, where the Japanese government’s state of emergency over the epidemic was extended for two weeks from Monday, rose by 4,109 over the past week, with the margin of increase shrinking from previous week’s 4,266.

The number of coronavirus cases went up by 1,779 in Tokyo, a slower growth than the preceding week’s 1,942, by 711 in Saitama, compared with 691, by 844 in Chiba, smaller than 819, and by 775 in Kanagawa, against 814.

Tokyo had the largest number of cumulative infection cases at 113,455, followed by Osaka with 47,670 and Kanagawa with 45,674.

The cumulative death toll linked to the virus stood at 8,276 across the country, up by 366.

JIJI Press