Japan is reporting over 200,000 Covid-19 cases a day, more than any other country in the world, while its government has refused to impose strict Pandemic restrictions, as the country struggles to contain an outbreak of the fast spreading BA.5 sub variant of the coronaviruses.
Japan is currently in the midst of its worst ever Covid-19 outbreak.
The Japanese government reported nearly 200,000 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, just days after it hit 200,000 daily cases for the first time.
The worst of Japan's outbreak appears to be centered around two of its three largest prefectures, with Tokyo reporting more than 30,000 daily cases.
The growing outbreak in the Osaka prefecture has prompted local authorities to raise the virus alert to the highest level which encourages the elderly to refrain from non-essential travel and gatherings.
The decision by Osaka to impose the red alert level comes a week after Tokyo enacted the same measure, but officials in both provinces have not called for the creation of a quasi-state of emergency which would limit the size of gatherings.
The current outbreak in Japan is being driven by the highly contagious BA.5 variant of the coronaviruses, which can evade immunity from previous vaccinations, according to a Japanese government official.
According to Our World In Data, the number of hospitalizations in the country have continued to rise, even as the number of patients in the intensive care unit is low.
The country's plan to return to normal after dealing with one of the world's most stringent travel bans appears to have been disrupted by the surge in cases. The ban on foreign travelers in Japan was lifted last month. Instead of a full reopening, Japan has only allowed foreigners to enter as part of a special government approved tour. It's not clear if this easing of border controls contributed to the current surge in daily cases. The Prime Minister has to balance controlling the Covid surge with Japan's economic challenges which include high inflation. In order to prevent the outbreak from growing, the government of Kishida has urged people to be cautious and not to move. The downfall of Yoshihide Suga was largely due to disapproval of his approach to the epidemic.
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