TOKYO -- Japan on Friday declared a new state of emergency for Tokyo and three other prefectures. The decision comes just three months before the July 23 opening of the Tokyo Olympics and attempts to make the games "safe and secure," as surging coronavirus cases cloud the event.
The nation's medical system faces new pressure from the rise in infections tied to COVID-19 variants. The state of emergency -- the third declared in Japan since the onset of the pandemic -- includes Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures and lasts from Sunday through May 11.
