TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a coronavirus state of emergency on Thursday, asking Tokyo-area bars and restaurants to close early and residents to stay home at night as he vowed to rein in rising cases in a month.
The move came as the number of new cases in Tokyo jumped to a record 2,447 the same day. It was only a week ago that the daily total surpassed 1,000 for the first time. The accelerating pace has unnerved the country and made virus containment a top political priority.
