Japan COVID-19 cases set single-day record

Japan shattered the nationwide record for COVID-19 cases in a day on Wednesday, registering 2,746 cases of the deadly virus as of 6 p.m., public broadcaster NHK reported. The day saw a spate of records in several prefectures, including 245 cases in Aichi, 75 in Kyoto, 72 in Hiroshima, 49 in Gunma and 21 in Oita, and comes amid a recent surge in infections that have prompted concern among regional governments and health authorities. Tokyo, meanwhile, reported 572 new cases -- the second highest daily total ever -- while the number of serious cases dipped by one from a day earlier to 59. The news came a day after the nationwide death toll hit a single-day record of 47 and as serious cases also hit an all-time daily high of 536, according to the health ministry. The capital's daily figure on Wednesday, which was just shy of the record 584 cases recorded last Saturday, was based on 1,428 tests, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said in a statement.