Japan expands coronavirus emergency areas as cases surge

People wearing face masks walk along a street in Tokyo (Koji Sasahara/AP)

Japan has expanded its coronavirus state of emergency for a second week in a row, adding eight more prefectures as a surge in infections fuelled by the Delta variant strains the country’s healthcare system.

The government last week extended the state of emergency until September 12 and expanded the areas covered to 13 prefectures from six including Tokyo.