Apr 05 ,2020. 15 minutes ago – 16:09 KYODO NEWS

TOKYO – Tokyo is likely to confirm more than 130 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, marking the highest rate of increase on record, metropolitan government officials said.

This will lift the total number of pneumonia-causing virus infections confirmed in the Japanese capital above 1,000.

Sunday’s tally follows 118 cases reported in Tokyo on Saturday, the first time the daily increase had topped 100.

Recent surges in the number of infections in Tokyo and other parts of the country have prompted calls for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency.

For the second straight weekend, many people in Japan refrained from going out after local authorities asked residents to stay at home except for essential reasons.

The number of temporarily closed stores and restaurants apparently increased from last weekend.

Besides Tokyo, where a surge in new cases has made the capital the worst-hit area in the country, stay-at-home requests have also been issued by prefectures including Osaka, Fukui, Fukuoka, Miyagi and Ibaraki.

CR: KYODO NEWS