Photo/Illutration The Osaka prefectural government building in Osaka (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

For the first time in five days, Japan reported fewer than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in its daily total.

Japan confirmed 646 new infections as of 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 17, according to government data, marking the first time since Aug. 12 that new cases dipped below the 1,000 mark.

Tokyo added 161 new coronavirus cases, the first time in six days that the daily case number came in under 200.

Tokyo’s rate of positive COVID-19 test results was 5.7 percent as of Aug. 17, showing a downward trend.

But a Tokyo metropolitan government official noted that the annual Bon holiday period needed to be taken into consideration, saying, “There are special factors involved with testing and reporting during the Bon summer holidays.”

The official was cautious about whether the rate for testing positive will continue to decline.

Osaka Prefecture confirmed 71 new cases, landing below 100 for the first time in two weeks.

At the same time, according to the Osaka prefectural government, five elderly people--four men and one woman, in their 70s through 90s--who tested positive died by Aug. 17. Four of them had underlying illnesses.

Oita Prefecture reported 10 new cases, a record high for a single day.

Airports confirmed that 12 travelers arriving from the United States and the Philippines have tested positive.

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