Japan eyes state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka regions amid virus surge

A man wearing a protective mask amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak cycles past Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan

* Prefectures housing Kobe, Kyoto also seek state of emergency: media * New infections surge stoked by more infectious virus strains * Amid slow vaccine roll-out, concern rising with Olympics in view * Nikkei slips 2% as worries about handling of virus spread to investors * New state of emergency could cover close to quarter of Japan population Japan's government is considering a state of emergency for Tokyo and Osaka as new Covid-19 case numbers surge, broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday, a move that would enable prefectural authorities to impose curbs to try to stop infections spreading. With thousands of new cases resulting from highly infectious strains of the virus, the government is expected to declare the state of emergency this week for the capital and Osaka prefecture, as well as the latter's neighbouring Hyogo and Kyoto prefectures, a number of domestic media outlets reported. If adopted in all four regions, the emergency measures would cover close to a quarter of Japan's population of 126 million.