Tokyo daily coronavirus cases up from a week earlier to 13,516 -NHK

FILE PHOTO: A notice about COVID-19 safety measures is pictured next to closed doors at a departure hall of Narita international airport on the first day of closed borders to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus Omicron variant in Narita, east of Tokyo, Japan, November 30, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

Tokyo recorded 13,516 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, up 1,751 from a week earlier, national broadcaster NHK reported.

It is the first daily rise from week-earlier levels since Feb. 8, NHK said, adding that the Japanese capital recorded 27 deaths, the highest this year.

A Japanese health panel on Friday approved a plan for more targeted COVID curbs across much of the nation.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by William Mallard)