Osaka, Hyogo, and Kyoto are requesting a quasi-state of emergency amid the rise of new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections in the country due to the new Omicron variant.
The country as a whole reported more than 20,000 new cases of the virus nationwide for eight consecutive days as of Thursday.
That state of emergency started in July (although Okinawa had then already been under a state of emergency for four months).