[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] In Japan, the number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases has exceeded 4,000, showing signs of a fourth wave less than a month after the state of emergency was lifted.
According to local media, on the 14th, the total number of newly confirmed COVID-19 infections across Japan was 4,308 (as of 6:30 PM).
This is the first time since January 28 of this year (4,133 cases), when a state of emergency was in effect in 11 metropolitan areas nationwide including Tokyo and Osaka, that Japan's daily new cases have risen to the 4,000 range.
In Japan, COVID-19, which had somewhat slowed down after the state of emergency?enforced from early January and fully lifted on the 22nd of last month, three days before the Tokyo Olympic torch relay scheduled to start in July?has begun spreading rapidly again.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga stated at the House of Councillors (Japan’s upper house) plenary session that "It is not a nationwide large wave," but added that since the virus is spreading rapidly mainly in the Kansai region, the government will respond with strong vigilance.
However, Shigeru Omi, chairman of the government’s COVID-19 task force, expressed a different view at the House of Representatives (lower house) Cabinet Committee, saying, "I think it is fair to call this the so-called fourth wave."
Chairman Omi also predicted that if the priority measures are judged ineffective in stopping the spread of infection, there will be no choice but to declare a state of emergency again.
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