At least 75 critically ill coronavirus patients in Japan have received life-support treatment involving ECMO machines that replace the function of the heart and lungs. The number has nearly doubled in two weeks.
The figure is based on surveys by medical associations, including the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine.
The number of people visiting commercial and entertainment districts in Japan fell sharply at the weekend -- the first since the government declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic.
Mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo released data collected at its base stations without identifying the users.
Police in Kobe, western Japan, say a station chief and his deputy have contracted the coronavirus. The two officers had attended a welcome party at a pub late last month.
A total of 10 infections have now been confirmed at Kobe Nishi Police Station. Some of the officers had attended the party for the new station chief.
Japanese weather officials say stormy conditions are expected through Tuesday in most parts of the country. They advise caution for strong winds and heavy rain.
The Meteorological Agency says a low-pressure system and unstable atmospheric conditions are bringing strong winds and rain to many parts of western and eastern Japan.
The Japanese government plans to continue asking businesses to let more employees work from home, to substantially cut social contact for the coronavirus in state-of-emergency areas.
The government wants to mitigate person-to-person contacts by at least 70 percent, or preferably by 80 percent, in Tokyo and six other prefectures. It says the reduction will help contain the spread of the virus as quickly as possible.
The Japanese government is considering the adoption of a smartphone app that would allow authorities to quickly identify people who may have been exposed to those infected with the new coronavirus.
The app will be similar to the one developed and introduced in Singapore. If users of smartphones loaded with the app come into close proximity, the handsets will receive each other's phone number and record it in an encrypted form.
The governor of Hokkaido and the mayor of Sapporo have issued a joint emergency declaration as coronavirus infections have started to increase again.
Governor Suzuki Naomichi told Mayor Akimoto Katsuhiro in Sapporo City on Sunday that newly confirmed cases in the northern prefecture have hit double digits for five days in a row. Suzuki said Hokkaido may be experiencing a second wave of infections.