Japan braces for 8th wave of pandemic as Hokkaido cases soar

Record numbers in northern island spell trouble for rest of country

20221109 Hokkaido Coronavirus

Sapporo station in Hokkaido. Japan's northern-most big island has seen COVID cases hit a new peak. © Reuters

HANA SLEVIN OHAMA, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Japan could face a new peak in COVID-19 cases as the northernmost main island Hokkaido, where winter hits earliest, sets daily records.

"We expect this upward trend of confirmed infections to continue, and it could lead to the so-called eighth wave," Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said at a Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare advisory board meeting on Wednesday.

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