Japan surpasses 3,000 daily new coronavirus cases for first time

TOKYO: Japan saw more than 3,000 new infections of the novel coronavirus for the first time in one day on Saturday, public broadcaster NHK reported, as the number of cases continues to rise in the winter.

A total of 3,041 people were newly infected, NHK said. Tokyo, Japan's capital and largest city, on Saturday confirmed 621 new cases.

While Japan has not seen anywhere near the kind of massive outbreaks that have hit the United States and parts of Europe, infections have worsened as winter has set in, particularly in regions such as the northern island of Hokkaido.

So far, some 2,588 people have died in Japan from the coronavirus.