[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] On the 4th, 28 new cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) were reported in Tokyo, the capital of Japan.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced that the number of newly confirmed cases through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests was 28, more than double the previous day's 12. Among the new cases, about 80%, or 22 people, were in their 20s to 30s, and the infection route of half, 14 people, was not identified.
The average daily number of new cases in the Tokyo area over the past week was 18.3, about 2 more than the previous day's figure of 16.4. This exceeds one of the criteria applied when the Japanese government lifted the state of emergency in Tokyo on the 25th of last month, which was 'an average of 10 or fewer new cases per day over the past week.'
Across Japan, a total of 47 new cases were added on the day, including 6 in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and 3 at airport quarantine stations (as of 9 PM NHK tally). Accordingly, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Japan increased to 17,790, including 5,323 in Tokyo, and the death toll reached 923.
Yasutoshi Nishimura, Minister of Economic Revitalization responsible for Japan's COVID-19 response policy, said at a press conference on the day, "Overall, the number of new cases is showing an increasing trend, and we are watching with a sense of crisis."
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