TOKYO, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Japan logged 49,854 daily COVID-19 cases on Friday, setting a new record for the fourth consecutive day as the country plans to expand the quasi-state of emergency amid surging infections nationwide due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The capital city of Tokyo reported 9,699 cases on Friday, once again eclipsing the previous record high of 8,638 confirmed the previous day. The Osaka prefecture, meanwhile, also logged a fresh high of 6,254.
Many parts of the country have been struggling with what was considered the country's "sixth wave" of infections. The cumulative total of COVID-19 infections in Japan exceeded 2 million on Thursday.
The country plans to expand the enforcement of a quasi-state of emergency to a total of 29 of all 47 prefectures.
Osaka and seven other prefectures demanded on Friday that the central government declare a quasi-state of emergency for them too in an effort to curb the ongoing surging infections.
The central government has previously decided to widen the quasi-state of emergency to Tokyo and 12 other prefectures for three weeks beginning Friday, allowing local governments to ask restaurants and bars to end operation early and stop or limit the serving of alcohol. ■