As of 11 p.m., Thursday, April 15
- India on Thursday reported over 200,000 fresh coronavirus cases for the first time, with the total so far now exceeding 14 million.
- Osaka Prefecture reported a daily record of 1,208 coronavirus cases on Thursday and Tokyo marked 729, the highest in more than two months, amid deepening concerns about what medical experts call a "fourth wave" of infections in Japan.
- The Tokyo Olympic torch relay is set to be taken off public roads in the main island of Okinawa Prefecture in southern Japan next month due to concerns over a recent surge in coronavirus infections, officials familiar with the planning said Thursday.
- The governments of Hokkaido and its capital Sapporo have decided to cancel a 10-kilometer foot race scheduled for next month on the Olympic marathon course, a source with knowledge of the matter said Thursday.
- Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai said Thursday that canceling this summer's Tokyo Olympics may be an option if the spread of coronavirus infections forces organizers to think it would be difficult to hold the event.
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, April 14
- The Tokyo Olympic torch relay will not run on public roads in the western Japan city of Matsuyama next week due to concern over the strain on the medical system as COVID-19 cases creep up again in many parts of the country, organizers said Wednesday.
- Osaka Prefecture on Wednesday reported a record 1,130 daily coronavirus cases, as the area struggles with a surge in the number of people infected with a highly contagious variant of the virus amid concerns that Japan has entered a "fourth wave" of infections.
- The head of the government's coronavirus panel warned Wednesday that Japan has entered a "fourth wave" of infections, expressing a sense of crisis over the situation as highly contagious variants are spreading in several parts of the country.
- Japan on Wednesday marked 100 days to go until the Tokyo Olympics despite many questions remaining unanswered over how the games can be held safely amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- U.S. health authorities on Tuesday called for a pause in the use of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine, citing cases of a "rare and severe type of blood clot" in individuals who had recently received the shot.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - April 3~9