May 21 (NHK) - The number of new coronavirus infections remains low in Tokyo with officials reporting just five new cases in the capital on Wednesday. This marks the fourth consecutive day the number of new cases has been 10 or fewer in the capital city of about 14 million.
The latest figure comes as Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko continues to call on her prefectural counterparts to work together to contain the virus. She said: "Clustered infections have emerged not only in Tokyo, but across Japan. The entire nation must be united to address this issue."
The central government is set to decide on Thursday whether it will lift the state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and six other prefectures.
Last week, the government canceled the nationwide declaration for the other 39 prefectures.
It's likely to be lifted for Osaka and its neighbors --- Kyoto and Hyogo. That's because the rate of new infections there has fallen below 0.5 per 100,000 people in the past week --- a benchmark set by the government for the emergency declaration to be lifted.
Officials plan to decide whether to lift the declaration for Tokyo and its three prefectural neighbors as a group.
The rates for Tokyo and Kanagawa currently do not meet the criteria. Officials will also take into account the state of their medical and testing systems.
The northern prefecture of Hokkaido also does not meet the criteria.
In total, more than 16,400 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Japan. Over 780 have died.
