Omicron has been spreading in various parts of the world for months and now, it's fueling a record-breaking surge in Japan.

Local authorities hope to prevent medical services from being strained to the breaking point and they're calling for help from the public.

Tokyo once again logged more daily cases than ever on Thursday, with the figure surpassing 8,600. Infections are spreading fast.

In Osaka, the situation is similar. The western prefecture's Thursday case count was more than 5,900.

Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi wants Osaka to be covered by quasi-emergency measures declared by the central government, along with neighboring Hyogo and Kyoto.

Yoshimura said, "Intensive measures will help slow the wave of infections as much as possible. This will lead to reducing the strain on the medical system."

Similar requests are coming from other parts of Japan. Hokkaido also wants quasi-emergency powers. The daily case count there was above 1,400 on Thursday, the second consecutive day of record-setting figures.

Okinawa and two other prefectures were the first to be granted quasi-emergency status.

On Friday such declarations will be expanded to cover 13 more jurisdictions, including Tokyo.

This will give local officials the authority to ask bars and restaurants to take more precautions.

Such strictures could include a pause in alcohol sales, early closing times, and limits on customer numbers.

The tally of new coronavirus infections topped 46,200 nationwide on Thursday, the third consecutive day of record-breaking case numbers.

The cumulative number of coronavirus cases confirmed in Japan has now passed 2 million.