Japan ranks below Italy and Spain in ICU bed capacity

43 out of 47 prefectures risk running out of space at coronavirus peak

An intensive care unit in a hospital in Germany: Japan faces a shortage of ICUs in over 90% of its prefectures. (Getty Images via Kyodo)

AKIRA MAEMURA, Nikkei social security editor

April 15, 2020 19:09 JST

Updated on April 16, 2020 05:55 JST

TOKYO -- Japan risks running out of intensive care unit space in 43 of its 47 prefectures at the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, an analysis based on government estimates shows.

Cross-referencing the share of the population expected to develop serious COVID-19 symptoms during the peak of the pandemic with data on ICU beds from medical information company Nihon Ultmarc shows only Tokyo, Okayama, Fukuoka and Okinawa prefectures with space to spare.