Japan decides to expand COVID-19 state of emergency to 8 more prefs.

The addition of Hokkaido, Miyagi, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Shiga, Okayama and Hiroshima means that 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures are now under the state of emergency that includes Tokyo and Osaka, affecting over 75 percent of the population. The measure will run from Friday to Sept. 12.

The expansion comes as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus has sent daily reported cases surging in parts of Japan, overwhelming local hospitals.

Concerns are growing about infections spreading rapidly among young people as many students in Japan are returning to school after the summer break.

«The number of newly confirmed cases is at a record high and we have observed a sharp rise in cases in the region» that includes Aichi, Mie and Gifu prefectures, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a government task force meeting.

«We need further cooperation from the public to overcome this crisis as the Delta variant is highly contagious,» Suga said.

The government plans to distribute 800,000 antigen test kits for kindergartens, primary and junior high schools in Japan and make sure that teachers can get vaccinated as soon as possible, according to Suga.

The effectiveness of a protracted state of emergency has been called into question as it relies on voluntary public cooperation. Prefectural governors have called for stricter lockdown measures, which would require a new legal framework.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister in charge of Japan's coronavirus response, told a panel of experts who later endorsed the government move to expand the state of emergency that medical care in the targeted areas is «in a very severe situation.»

Under the state of emergency, restaurants are asked not to serve alcohol or offer karaoke and instructed to close by 8 p.m. Major commercial facilities, including department stores and shopping malls, are requested to limit the number of customers allowed in at the same time.

Suga has called for human traffic in crowded areas to be cut by half and for firms to have employees work from home and cut commuters by 70 percent.

The decision to expand the measure comes a day after the Tokyo Paralympics began, which like the Olympics are being held almost entirely without spectators to lower the risk of infections spreading.

In Tokyo, which has competition venues for the Paralympics, 4,228 new COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday.

Hospitals are struggling to deal with the surge in patients in severe condition, with a shortage of beds forcing many with milder symptoms to cope at home.

The government will also expand the quasi-state of emergency currently covering 16 prefectures to another four -- Kochi, Saga, Nagasaki and Miyazaki -- allowing governors to place restrictions on specific areas rather than entire prefectures.

Suga had hoped that Japan would stem a surge in COVID-19 cases as more people got vaccinated, setting the stage for him to dissolve the lower house for a snap election that must be held this fall.

But public discontent with his administration's coronavirus response has grown. Falling public support, combined with a recent election loss by a candidate supported by Suga and some members of the Liberal Democratic Party, has raised concern about his leadership in some quarters of the ruling party.

Japan has been speeding up its belated vaccination drive in recent months, first targeting elderly people and people with preexisting health conditions who are at higher risk of developing severe symptoms. Some 42.6 percent of people in Japan have received a second vaccine shot, according to government data as of Wednesday.

With over 86 percent of people aged 65 and older having been fully vaccinated, the government now faces the challenge of promoting vaccinations among younger people.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said the government is considering a plan to use some reserve funds for fiscal 2021 set aside for coronavirus countermeasures to secure additional vaccine doses.

He also suggested the government needs to collect data and study the practice of mixing and matching different vaccines, saying some overseas data show it is effective in boosting immunity, though the government will not actively recommend such a practice in the current situation.