Japan's health ministry says it confirmed 10,346 new cases of the coronavirus in Tokyo on Sunday.
That's up 2,569 from a week ago. The daily tally rose week-on-week for the third day in a row.
Japan's health ministry has decided on a list of pre-existing conditions for prioritizing those receiving coronavirus vaccinations.
The ministry plans to start inoculating medical workers around late February, followed by the elderly in late March, and then people with underlying health conditions.
Japanese health minister Tamura Norihisa says top priority will be given to quickly screening a COVID-19 vaccine co-developed by US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.
The comment indicates the screening will proceed based on a fast-track system that requires much simpler steps than conventional screening.
A surging number of coronavirus cluster infections in Japan is raising fears that medical care system in affected communities will be overstretched.
The health ministry compiles weekly data on clusters based on media reports.
Japan's health minister Tamura Norihisa says he has a sense of crisis over a record number of seriously-ill coronavirus patients across the country.
The number of patients being treated at intensive care units or with ventilators hit 472 on Monday, the highest ever.
An expert panel advising Japan's health ministry has warned that if the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, medical and public health systems could be dealt a serious blow.
The panel said on Tuesday that cases are surging mainly in Hokkaido and metropolitan areas in and around Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.
Japanese health officials are urging people in all age groups to get influenza shots amid concerns about simultaneous outbreaks of flu and coronavirus infections.
Demand for flu vaccine is expected to surge this winter. The health ministry advised that people aged 65 or older should be given flu shots first from October 1.
Japan's health ministry is conducting an online survey to find out how the coronavirus is affecting mental health.
The World Health Organization says a sense of isolation and decreasing incomes are believed to be causing more people to become dependent on alcohol or suffer from insomnia.
A Japanese organization for protecting the rights of entertainers has asked the government to institute a mental health care system for people in the entertainment industry.
The Entertainers' Rights Association made the plea in a statement entitled "Suicides by Entertainers." It was posted on the group's website on Sunday.
Following the death of a prominent Japanese actor Takeuchi Yuko in an apparent suicide, the health ministry wants to remind the public that crisis counseling services are available.
The ministry posted on its website telephone numbers of services provided by municipalities and QR codes for non-profit organizations using social media.
Japan's new health and welfare minister Tamura Norihisa has stressed that fighting the coronavirus will be his top priority.
Tamura, who previously held the same post, met with reporters on Thursday and said he will work with responsibility because his ministry is closely attached to people's lives.
NHK has learned that Health Minister Kato Katsunobu will become Chief Cabinet Secretary in the next cabinet.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Aso Taro will keep his posts. The cabinet will be formed on Wednesday.
Kyoto City in western Japan has decided to double the number of staff at public health offices by the end of September to better deal with novel coronavirus infections.
The city will move up hiring plans while confirming the wishes of new workers. It will also have staffing agencies send more medical nurses and public health nurses. It aims to have 66 workers by the end of this month.
Mitsubishi's long-time Chairman Osamu Masuko has resigned due to health reasons, the Japanese carmaker announced on Friday, August 7.