Japan Reports 152,536 New COVID-19 Cases... Highest Ever Recorded

Surpassing Previous Record of 110,661 Cases
Analysis Suggests Start of '7th Wave' Following '6th Wave'
However, Daily Deaths and Severe Cases Remain Low
Japanese Government Decides Against Imposing Business Hour Restrictions

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] The number of new COVID-19 cases in Japan has surpassed 150,000, marking a record high.

According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK on the 20th, the number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide was counted at 152,536. This is about 40,000 more than the previous record of 110,661 cases (on the 16th).

On this day, 30 out of the 47 prefectures (regional local governments) in Japan recorded their highest number of cases ever. According to NHK, Osaka Prefecture exceeded 20,000 cases for the first time with 21,976 cases in a single day, and Tokyo Metropolis surpassed 20,000 cases for the first time since February 5th, with 20,401 cases.

As a result, opinions have emerged that the '7th wave' has officially begun, greatly surpassing the previous highest daily case record of 104,169 cases set on February 4th, which was the peak of the '6th wave' (the sixth COVID-19 surge).

The cause of the resurgence of COVID-19 in Japan is attributed to the Omicron subvariant 'BA.5.'

However, the recent daily COVID-19 death toll in Japan remains relatively low at a maximum of around 30, compared to the 100 to 300 deaths reported daily in February. The number of severe COVID-19 cases was 155 as of the previous day, which is much lower than the over 1,500 cases at the peak of the 6th wave.

Accordingly, the Japanese government is not considering restrictions such as limiting restaurant operating hours. At a regular press conference on the same day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu stated, “We will not impose new behavioral restrictions,” adding, “We will focus on protecting the elderly who are at high risk of severe illness by promoting the fourth vaccination and striving to secure the healthcare delivery system.”