3 prefectures near Tokyo to ask for COVID emergency declaration

Three prefectures neighboring Tokyo will jointly request the central government Thursday to add them to areas under the COVID-19 state of emergency after a recent surge in the number of coronavirus cases, Chiba Gov. Toshihito Kumagai said.The governor expressed "a strong sense of crisis" over the rapid spread of the virus at a press conference. Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister in charge of Japan's COVID-19 response, said he will "swiftly decide and respond flexibly once the request is made" by Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures.Japan's daily total of COVID-19 cases hit an all-time high of…READ FULL ARTICLE