Photo/Illutration Medical staff deal with a severely ill patient in Kumamoto in February 2022. (Shomei Nagatsuma)

For the first time ever, the number of COVID-19-related deaths across Japan has topped 10,000 in a single month, according to a compilation of prefectural government data.

Deaths related to the disease surged in January, with a total of 10,314 confirmed as of Jan. 29.

The grim figure comes in the wake of a surge in new infections that began in November and stretched throughout December and into the new year. New cases have since been on a steady decline and that wave of infections has now mostly ebbed.

Health officials reported 191 daily deaths as of 7 p.m. the same day.

The highest number of deaths for a single day was recorded on Jan. 13, with 523, followed by 520 on Jan. 11.

The nation confirmed 44,296 new infections on Jan. 29, down 19,553 from the same day the previous week.

By prefecture, Tokyo had the highest number on Jan. 29 with 3,427, followed by Osaka, 2,903, and Aichi, 2,712.

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