Japan records 503 coronavirus infections on Wednesday; biggest daily jump since start of pandemic

The jump in new COVID-19 cases, including 144 in Tokyo underscored the struggle of Japanese authorities to contain the outbreak without imposing a sweeping, mandatory lockdown on the population as most countries overseas have done.

A day after the state of emergency was proclaimed, some Tokyo trains were still full of commuters, some voicing confusion over how they were now expected to restrict their movements to stem transmissions of the virus.

The month-long state of emergency gives regional governors more power to press businesses to close. But Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike is expected to announce only on Friday which categories of businesses will have to shut, so many shops and businesses were left to decide what to do for now.

Moreover, authorities have generally been given no powers to penalize people who disregard calls to stay at home or businesses that decline to shut down.

"It's unavoidable that people have to come out for work," Risa Tanaka, a mask-wearing office worker, said near Tokyo's Shinjuku station. She said she usually tried to work at home, but had stepped out to deliver some documents. "I don't know if (this) emergency declaration is enough."

"We've reduced the number of in-office workers by half, but we are still rotating to go into work," said commuter Chihiro Kakegawa, an employee of a Tokyo financial institution, adding that it had freed her from being in the office every day.

INFECTIONS SPIKE IN TOKYO, OTHER REGIONS

Tokyo recorded 144 coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the total in the capital to 1,339, Koike said. That rise helped carry the nationwide tally to 4,768, according to an evening report by public broadcaster NHK.

NHK later said 503 people had been newly infected nationwide, the first time that tally passed the 500 mark in a day.