TOKYO- JAPAN: The governor of Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa warned on Thursday that the daily number of COVID-19 cases is projected to surpass 1,000, up from 623 cases reported the day before.

Denny Tamaki reportedly  stated that the latest number of daily coronavirus cases in the prefecture is anticipated to exceed 980, which would be a new high for Okinawa, surpassing the previous high of 809 instances reported on August 25 last year.

As the number of virus cases in Okinawa rises, including those linked to US bases, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi urged on Thursday that US bases in Japan implement a curfew due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 outbreaks among US military personnel.

Hayashi's appeal was made by phone to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to the foreign ministry, with Hayashi telling Blinken that the US side needed to take additional measures to prevent the virus from spreading at US military bases in Japan and further into the population.

The US's casual attitude to giving COVID-19 testing to its military personnel before and after arrival in Japan has irritated the Japanese side, resulting in an increase in cases and cluster infections at various US military stations here.

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