TOKYO/KOBE – Japan has seen a rapid increase in infections of coronavirus variants, with confirmed cases jumping 60% over a single week, complicating the work of a government scrambling to contain the pandemic ahead of the Summer Olympics.
A total of 271 cases of variant strains -- considered to be more infectious -- were confirmed in Japan as of Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. This is up from 165 cases from a week ago.
