A member of Japan Self-Defense Forces is seen at a mass vaccination coronavirus disease (COVID-19) site in Tokyo, Japan June 9, 2021. David Mareuil/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
TOKYO: Japan's western prefecture of Osaka and two neighbouring regions are expected to join in a widening declaration of COVID-19 prevention measures, Osaka's governor said on Thursday.
Japan added more than 41,000 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday as the Omicron variant spread, a tally by national broadcaster NHK showed, breaking a record for two consecutive days.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decided on Wednesday to expand the measures to cover the capital Tokyo and a dozen other regions. If the restrictions are widened to include Osaka and its two neighbors, 63% of the nation's total population - or just under 80 million people - would live under the measure.
Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said the prefecture would hold a meeting on Friday to determine whether to apply for measures referred to as quasi-emergency that allow governors to request restaurants shorten business hours.
Yoshimura said he was coordinating with the prefectural governors of Kyoto and Hyogo on making a joint request.
"I think the three prefectures will probably join together to request the quasi-emergency measures (on Friday)," Yoshimura said.
Yoshimura said he expected Osaka would log roughly 6,000 new infections on Thursday, close to the record number seen on Wednesday.
