Photo/Illutration People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk on a street in Tokyo on Jan. 12. (AP Photo)

New COVID-19 cases across the nation topped 10,000 on Jan. 12 for the first time since Sept. 9, according to preliminary figures as of 5 p.m.

Daily figures not seen in months were reported by local governments around the nation.

Tokyo confirmed 2,198 fresh cases on Jan. 12, and Osaka reported 1,711 the same day.

The last time the capital had more than 2,000 cases was Sept. 4 when 2,370 were reported, metropolitan government officials said.

Osaka faced a similar situation. The last time it reported more than 1,000 cases was Sept. 15 when it had 1,160.

Local authorities in Okinawa Prefecture confirmed 1,644 new cases on Jan. 12, the second highest daily figure after 1,759 recorded on Jan. 8.

As of Jan. 11, there were 529.52 cases per 100,000 residents in Okinawa, the highest figure in the nation.

COVID-19 figures have been spiking across Japan since the year-end and New Year break after dropping to very low levels.

The daily average of cases in Tokyo for the week ending Jan. 12 came to 1,148.7, a roughly eightfold increase over the average of the previous week.

Patients in their 20s accounted for about 30 percent of the new cases.

Only four patients displayed symptoms serious enough to require the use of a ventilator or other equipment to breathe. The figure was unchanged from the previous day.

Okinawa prefectural authorities were also informed Jan. 12 by U.S. military officials of 295 cases among military personnel.

Daily cases among U.S. military personnel hit more than 300 for four days in a row until Jan. 11.

Yamaguchi Prefecture, which like Okinawa and Hiroshima prefectures, is now covered by pre-emergency measures confirmed a record 182 cases on Jan. 12. Of that number, 79 were in Iwakuni, where the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is located.

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