TOKYO: Japan's daily coronavirus cases exceeded 190,000 on Friday, hitting a new record for the third consecutive day, official data showed, as Japan experiences a seventh wave of infections driven by the BA.5 Omicron subvariant.
The latest count comes after Japan saw 186,246 cases on Thursday, with 35 of the country's 47 prefectures reporting record figures.
On Friday, Tokyo reported 34,995 new cases, reaching an all-time high for the second consecutive day.
The metropolitan government also said seven people died. On Thursday, the capital logged 31,878 infections, far exceeding the previous high of 21,562 on Feb 2.
Tokyo and other parts of Japan have been hit by the rapid spread of the virus, but Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the central government is "not considering new restrictions on the movement of people."
Kishida's administration on Friday updated a set of Covid-19 countermeasures, including cutting self-isolation time for people who have been identified as close contacts of a positive case to five days from seven days.
In an attempt to maintain economic activity, it added that people testing negative for the virus in two consecutive qualitative antigen tests will also be able to end their self-isolation on the third day.
