Japanese officials have sounded the alarm after Tokyo reported record-breaking coronavirus cases for two straight days with the Olympics well underway.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katunobu Kato told reporters the new cases are soaring not only in the Tokyo area but across the country.
He says Japan has never experienced the expansion of the infections of this magnitude.
Tokyo reported 3,177 new cases on Wednesday, up from 2,848 on Tuesday, setting an all-time high and exceeding 3,000 for the first time.
As a whole, Japan reported nearly 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, by far its highest single-day total of new cases since the start of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins. The country's daily case rate has steadily risen every day since the Opening Ceremony last Friday.
Japan has kept its cases and deaths lower than many other countries, but its seven-day rolling average is growing and now stands at 28 per 100,000 people.
People are still roaming the streets despite stay-at-home requests, making restrictions ineffective.