No state of emergency in Japan despite rising COVID-19 cases

On Sunday, Minister for Economic Revitalization Yasutoshi Nishimura said that he was wary of infections spreading from Tokyo to neighbouring prefectures, adding that the government was analyzing data from each prefecture to identify links in new cases between regions, and possible group infections, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to Nishimura, the government has no plan to reinstate a state of emergency for the time being.

He also said that the country's medical system is more than able to deal with all COVID-19 patients.

The Tokyo metropolitan government said on Sunday that 60 new cases of COVID-19 infections had been confirmed in the capital, up from 57 the previous day and hitting the highest number of daily tally since the state of emergency was lifted on May 25.

The number of people in the capital who have tested positive for the pneumonia-causing virus now stands at 6,114, the Tokyo metropolitan government said.

Across the country, the confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 107 to reach 18,516, according to the latest figures from the Health Ministry and local authorities on Sunday.

The number excludes the 712 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo.

The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at a total of 985 people, according to the Ministry, with the figure including those from the cruise ship.

It said there are currently a total of 46 patients considered severely ill and are on ventilators or in intensive care units.

The Ministry also said that in total, 17,164 people, including 658 from the cruise ship, have been discharged from hospitals after their symptoms improved.