Officials in Tokyo alarmed as coronavirus cases hit record high

Tokyo reported 3,177 new cases on Wednesday, up from 2,848 on Tuesday, setting an all-time high and exceeding 3,000 for the first time

A man wearing a protective mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walks past extra papers reporting on Japanese gold medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Picture: AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

Japanese officials have expressed concern after Tokyo reported record-breaking coronavirus cases for two days in a row with the Olympics well under way.

“We have never experienced an expansion in the infections of this magnitude,” said chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato.