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 New cases in Tokyo hit 4,515, the second highest after Thursday's
record 5,042, while the neighbouring, populous prefecture of
Kanagawa saw its cases soaring to more than 2,000, quadrupling in
less than two weeks.
Infections in Osaka, the biggest city in the country's west, also
rose to a record-breaking 1,310, in a sign the pathogen is quickly
spreading outside Tokyo.
The total number of cases since the pandemic began last year is now
above one million, tarnishing the country's early success in
containing the disease.
While the contagion appears to quickly spread from the capital to
other regions, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga struck a cautious tone
on expanding a state of emergency to the entire country.
"We need to take into account local conditions. Each region can take
their own step," Suga told reporters in Hiroshima, where he attended
a ceremony to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the atomic
bombing.
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 Still, the worsening health
crisis is likely to put pressure on Suga ahead
of an election that must be held by October.
Suga also said any decision on whether to allow
spectators in the Paralympics, scheduled on Aug.
24-Sept. 5, will be made after the end of the
Olympics on Aug. 8.
Suga reiterated that he did not think holding
the Games contributed to rising infections.
(Reporting by Hideyuki Sano, Makiko Yamazaki and
Takashi Umekawa; Editing by Emelia
Sithole-Matarise)
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