Location: Japan COVID-19 in Japan The U.S. Embassy and consulates continue to monitor closely COVID-19 conditions in Japan. Case numbers continue to rise throughout the country. Several areas, including Tokyo, are posting record or near-record numbers daily. Prefectural and local governments indicate that healthcare capacity, including critical care bed space and medical personnel staffing, is becoming strained. On December 17, Tokyo Governor Koike raised Tokyo’s health care alert system to its highest level for the first time since ending the state of emergency in May, indicating that the government task force believes hospitals could soon be overwhelmed. According to press reports, the Tokyo government is concerned that as many as 80 percent of the city’s hospitals and clinics will close during the New Year period, which will further constrain health care capacity.