Japan's medical systems are increasingly under strain as the number of cases of coronavirus continues to rise.
On Tuesday, Hokkaido, Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures were at Stage 4, the worst of the four-level alert scale, in terms of hospital bed availability. The scale was set by a government advisory panel to assess the severity of an outbreak.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has started asking hospitals to increase beds for coronavirus patients in serious condition, aiming to double the number of such beds in the capital.
The decision was made at a taskforce meeting on Thursday as Tokyo saw its daily count of new infections hit a record high of 534.
Severe tropical storm Chan-hom is skirting Japan. The Meteorological Agency has switched its heavy rain alert for Tokyo's southern remote islands from the highest emergency warning to a warning.
However, weather officials continue to urge people to remain on the alert against flooding and landslides.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom is moving east-northeast along the Pacific coast.
Officials are urging people to be on the alert for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, swollen rivers, violent winds and high waves.
Click here to watch NHK World-Japan's meteorologist give the latest details on Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom is moving east-northeast along the Pacific coast.
Officials say it is now less likely to make landfall, but could bring localized downpours of more than 50 millimeters per hour to the Kii Peninsula and Izu Islands.
Please click to watch our NHK World-Japan meteorologist provide the latest details on the Severe Tropical Storm Dolphin.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says severe tropical storm Dolphin is expected to approach eastern and northern areas from Thursday to Friday. It is currently in waters south of the country.
Forecasters say it is expected to bring heavy rain to wide areas of the country's Pacific side, together with a rain front near Japan.
The Japanese government says it plans to designate the heavy rain that swamped the southwestern region of Kyushu as a "severe natural disaster" in order to increase state subsidies for reconstruction work.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide told reporters on Wednesday that the government is assessing the damage to decide which areas should be covered by the measure.