The government of Japan is preparing to declare a quasi-emergency in Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima prefectures in response to rising coronavirus case numbers.

On Thursday evening, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said, "With the rapid spread of infections, the number of serious cases could increase and put a grave strain on the medical system in the near future. We have concluded that we should take measures quickly to curb further spreading."

Officials are expected to make a decision after consulting with experts and reporting their plan to the Diet on Friday.

The move will allow local governments to impose targeted strictures. It will let governors ask eateries to take stricter precautions. That could mean serving no alcohol, closing early or limiting the number of customers. Central government officials plan to leave the quasi-emergency status in place until the end of January.

Okinawa reported a record number of 981 new cases on Thursday. The tally does not include more than 160 new infections reported by US military bases in the prefecture.

Yamaguchi's Iwakuni City hosts a US Marine Corps base, which has seen its own surge. The mayor blames the outbreak among base personnel for the increased caseload in the city. Case counts are also rising sharply in neighboring Hiroshima Prefecture.

Japan's foreign minister has asked the US Secretary of State to tighten measures in the country. That includes placing restrictions on personnel leaving the bases. The US says it will take steps to protect the community.

For the whole of Japan, the number of new cases has surpassed 4,000 for the first time in more than 3 months.
The head of the Japan Medical Association is warning that an explosive spread of coronavirus could overwhelm the medical system.

President of Japan Medical Association Nakagawa Toshio said, "We are already being hit by the sixth wave of infections. And this time round, the pace of increase in the number of new cases is extremely fast."

Officials in Tokyo confirmed 641 new cases on Thursday.
Daily tallies jumped tenfold in just one week.