TOKYO, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan increased by 2,502 to reach 140,288 as of Thursday night, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities.
The figure excludes the 712 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo earlier in the year.
The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at 2,078, with 29 new fatalities announced Thursday. The death toll includes 13 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
The health ministry also said there are currently 410 patients considered severely ill with ventilators or in intensive care units. It is the first time that the number of serious cases has topped 400, the highest record since the onset of the outbreak.
Toshio Nakagawa, president of the Japan Medical Association, expressed a strong sense of alarm on Wednesday.
According to Nakagawa, medical care systems are nearing collapse in many areas of the country. He also said that if the number of new infections rises rapidly, it will be difficult to strike a balance between caring for them with providing hospital beds to other patients.
In Tokyo, the epicenter of Japan's outbreak, 481 new cases were reported on Thursday, with the capital's cumulative total reaching 39,079, the highest among the country's 47 prefectures.
Meanwhile, the number of seriously ill in the capital rose to 60, a record-high since a state of emergency declared over the pandemic was lifted in late May.
As the new daily coronavirus infections remained high, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike expressed concern and requested restaurants serving alcohol to shorten their operating hours from Saturday through Dec. 17, only two months after lifting its previous request to close early.
In the Aichi Prefecture in central Japan, Governor Hideaki Omura made a similar request on Thursday, calling for shorter opening hours in the city's main nightlife and entertainment areas from Sunday to Dec. 18. Business operators who comply with the request will be paid 20,000 yen (192 U.S. dollars) per day in financial support, said Omura.
Aichi Prefecture on Thursday confirmed 198 new coronavirus infections,with the cumulative total reaching 9,411.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Thursday that the next three weeks will be "crucial" to prevent the spread of the virus and to protect the country's medical system strained by the pandemic, urging people to avoid 3Cs-- confined spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings. Enditem
