More home working called for in Japan

Japan's economy minister on Monday urged more telecommuting to contain the spread of the coronavirus as a record surge in cases during the past week has sparked worries over a growing burden on the nation's healthcare system.

In a video meeting with local governors, Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is also in charge of the coronavirus response, called on business leaders to enhance anti-virus measures such as encouraging the level of telecommuting achieved during Japan's state of emergency earlier this year.

"At one point, commuter numbers were down by 70 to 80 percent, but now it's only about 30 percent," Nishimura said. "We really don't want to backtrack on this, so we have to explore new ways of working and keep teleworking high."

Though Japan has been spared the mass infections that killed tens of thousands elsewhere, the recent surge has raised questions over whether the country should reimpose a state of emergency.

Tokyo reported a daily record of 366 cases on Thursday, and 239 on Sunday, marking the sixth straight day that the figure had topped 200.On Monday, 131 new cases were reported in Tokyo while the southern city of Fukuoka reported a record 90 cases on Sunday, along with rising numbers in other urban areas.

Wait-and-see position

Despite the rise in cases, the government was taking a wait-and-see position on whether to declare another state of emergency, which prompted medical experts to warn about growing fears that the medical system may be under strain.

"The situation compared to April is very different," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference, citing the small number of serious cases as well as fewer cases among the elderly.

Although local officials have to point the finger at nightlife districts, especially the so-called host and hostess bars on the periphery of the country's sex industry, the government was sending a clear message: The rest of Japan is still doing fine and its economic reopening should continue uninterrupted.

However, Yoshihiro Yamaguchi, a specialist in critical care who has been serving on the frontlines in the fight against the deadly virus, said during a recent meeting of experts appointed to judge the situation in Tokyo that the national government's assessment was "mistaken".

"We cannot say the healthcare system is not stretched," said Yamaguchi, adding that the pace of new infections could surpass the number of beds available for COVID-19 patients.

Kenji Shibuya, a member of a coronavirus task force assembled by the Japan Medical Association, said that Japan is seeing the early phase of exponential growth and the virus could spin out of control if authorities do not act promptly.

Agencies contributed to this story.