TOKYO: Japan on Thursday declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures.

This is Japan’s first such declaration since April, local media reports said.

The declaration was made after days of record coronavirus counts and a rapidly rising death toll, according to the New York Times.

Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga made the announcement five days after governors from the affected areas pleaded with the government to act.

PM Suga’s coronavirus expert panel, too, had recommended the emergency declaration, citing rapid growth in infections.

Deaths from the coronavirus in the country have doubled in less than two months, passing 3,700.

Tokyo’s governor has also warned that the medical system is under stress.

(With inputs from Agencies)