Japan has expanded a coronavirus state of emergency to four more areas in addition to Tokyo following record spikes in infections as the capital hosts the Olympics, AP reports.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared an emergency in Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba, near Tokyo, as well as in the western city of Osaka, effective from Monday until August 31.

Emergency measures already in place in Tokyo and the southern island of Okinawa will be extended until the end of August, after the Olympics and well into the Paralympics which start on Aug 24.

Five other areas, including Hokkaido, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka, will be placed under less-stringent emergency restrictions.

Read more here.

People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk around Otsuka Station in Tokyo, Japan, July 30. — AP
People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk around Otsuka Station in Tokyo, Japan, July 30. — AP

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