Japan&nbsp;reported on Wednesday its first instance of community spread infection from the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

Health minister Shigeyuki Goto said three infections of the Omicron variant in the prefecture of Osaka were a cases of community transfer because the infection route was not clear.

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The cases are from the same family and none of the people traveled abroad, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura told a coronavirus policy meeting on Wednesday.

"I believe this counts as a case of community transfer. I think this will become the first in Osaka prefecture, and the first in the country," Yoshimura said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-hangs-3-defends-capital-punishment-calls-it-necessary-for-atrocious-crimes-438987" hreflang="en">Japan hangs 3, defends 'capital punishment', calls it necessary for 'atrocious crimes'</a>

As Omicron fears grow, the world's third-largest economy has tightened up border restrictions and promised to speed up booster shots.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday said its COVID-19 border controls, some of the strictest in the world, would remain in place for the time being.

Japan&nbsp;has had 1.73 million coronavirus infections and 18,391 deaths since the pandemic began, but the rate of new infections has been falling.

Japan reported on Wednesday its first instance of community spread infection from the Omicron variant of coronavirus. Health minister Shigeyuki Goto said three infections of the Omicron variant in the prefecture of Osaka were a cases of community transfer because the infection route was not clear.

Japan reported on Wednesday its first instance of community spread infection from the Omicron variant of coronavirus. Health minister Shigeyuki Goto said three infections of the Omicron variant in the prefecture of Osaka were a cases of community transfer because the infection route was not clear. Also read | Omicron alert: Japan orders US military in Okinawa base to follow Covid rules The cases are from the same family and none of the people traveled abroad, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura told a coronavirus policy meeting on Wednesday. "I believe this counts as a case of community transfer. I think this will become the first in Osaka prefecture, and the first in the country," Yoshimura said. Also read | Japan hangs 3, defends 'capital punishment', calls it necessary for 'atrocious crimes' As Omicron fears grow, the world's third-largest economy has tightened up border restrictions and promised to speed up booster shots. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday said its COVID-19 border controls, some of the strictest in the world, would remain in place for the time being. Japan has had 1.73 million coronavirus infections and 18,391 deaths since the pandemic began, but the rate of new infections has been falling.

Japan reports first case of community spread of Omicron

A massive custom-made face mask weighing 35 kg (77 pounds) was placed on a giant Buddhist goddess statue in&nbsp;Japan to pray for the end of the coronavirus pandemic.

The "mask", made with net fabric and measuring 4.1 metres (13.5 ft.) by 5.3 metres (17.4 ft.), was carried on ropes by four workers, who took three hours to scale and place the material on the 57-metre (187-ft.) statue.

The statue is located in a temple in Fukushima Prefecture called "Houkokuji Aizu Betsuin".

The statue, built 33 years ago, is hollow with a spiral staircase that can be climbed to the height of the goddess' shoulder. People visit the statue, which is holding a baby, to pray for the safe delivery of babies and to ask for blessings for their newborns.

Temple manager Takaomi Horigane said workers came up with the idea for the face mask in discussions on the restoration of the statue after it was damaged in an earthquake in February.

Horigane said they plan to keep the mask on the statue until the COVID-19 situation is under control in&nbsp;Japan.

A massive custom-made face mask weighing 35 kg (77 pounds) was placed on a giant Buddhist goddess statue in Japan to pray for the end of the coronavirus pandemic.

A massive custom-made face mask weighing 35 kg (77 pounds) was placed on a giant Buddhist goddess statue in Japan to pray for the end of the coronavirus pandemic. The "mask", made with net fabric and measuring 4.1 metres (13.5 ft.) by 5.3 metres (17.4 ft.), was carried on ropes by four workers, who took three hours to scale and place the material on the 57-metre (187-ft.) statue. The statue is located in a temple in Fukushima Prefecture called "Houkokuji Aizu Betsuin". The statue, built 33 years ago, is hollow with a spiral staircase that can be climbed to the height of the goddess' shoulder. People visit the statue, which is holding a baby, to pray for the safe delivery of babies and to ask for blessings for their newborns. Temple manager Takaomi Horigane said workers came up with the idea for the face mask in discussions on the restoration of the statue after it was damaged in an earthquake in February. Horigane said they plan to keep the mask on the statue until the COVID-19 situation is under control in Japan.

Giant Buddhist goddess in Japan gets 35kg face mask to pray for end of COVID-19

The head of a Japanese doctors' union warned on Tuesday that holding the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, with tens of thousands of people from around the world, could lead to the emergence of an "Olympic" strain of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a>.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/japans-tokyo-olympics-conundrum-worsens-amid-raging-pandemic-380850">Japan's Tokyo Olympics conundrum worsens amid raging pandemic</a>

Japan has pledged to hold a "safe and secure" 2020&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;in Tokyo after a year-long postponement but it is struggling to contain the fourth wave of infections and preparing to extend a state of emergency in much of the country.

Japanese officials,&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have all vowed the Games will go ahead, albeit under strict virus-prevention measures. Foreign spectators have been banned and a decision on domestic ones is expected next month.

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But even with those steps, worries remain about the influx of athletes and officials into Japan, where a vaccination drive remains glacially slow, with just over 5 per cent of the population having had a shot.

With people from more than 200 nations and territories set to arrive, the Games, due to begin in eight weeks, pose a danger, said Naoto Ueyama, head of the Japan Doctors Union.

"All of the different mutant strains of the virus which exist in different places will be concentrated and gathering here in Tokyo. We cannot deny the possibility of even a new strain of the virus potentially emerging," he told a news conference.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/osaka-wants-discussion-on-olympics-amid-virus-surge-in-japan-384061">Osaka wants 'discussion' on Olympics amid virus surge in Japan</a>

"If such a situation were to arise, it could even mean a Tokyo Olympic strain of the virus being named in this way, which would be a huge tragedy and something which would be the target of criticism, even for 100 years."

But Kenji Shibuya, director of the Institute of Population Health at King’s College, London, who has recently been helping the vaccination campaign in Japan, played down dangers specific to the Games.

"Mutation takes place when virus stays in immunocompromised or partially immunised people for a long period of time," Shibuya said.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/not-thinking-of-cancelling-the-olympics-says-tokyo-2020-chief-amid-surge-in-covid-infections-377930">Not thinking of cancelling the Olympics', says Tokyo 2020 chief amid surge in COVID infections</a>

"So the current situation in Japan is more dangerous than (during) the Tokyo Games, in my opinion."

State of Emergency

The Asahi Shimbun, an official partner of the Tokyo&nbsp;Olympics, carried an editorial on Wednesday urging the Games be cancelled, but former IOC vice president Dick Pound said later in the day the sports extravaganza should and would go ahead.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-newspaper-sponsoring-tokyo-olympics-urges-cancellation-387435">Japan newspaper sponsoring Tokyo Olympics urges cancellation</a>

The government is currently preparing to extend a state of emergency across much of the nation originally set to be lifted on May 31, most likely well into June, officials have said - just weeks before the Games are set to open on July 23.

But IOC member John Coates has said the&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;could be held even under a state of emergency, an opinion Ueyama said was infuriating.

"In regards to these statements, the people of Japan are indeed holding great anger towards this, and this is even more the case for healthcare and medical professionals," Ueyama said.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/citing-covid-risk-us-warns-against-travel-to-olympic-host-japan-387229">Citing Covid risk, US warns against travel to Olympic host Japan</a>

Earlier this week, the United States advised against travel to Japan, but&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;organisers have said this will not affect the Games. The White House on Wednesday said it had been assured by Japan's government that it will keep in close contact about concerns over the&nbsp;Olympics.

In a sign of how uncertain the situation remains, however, Australia's major sports leagues and Olympic hopefuls were left scrambling to make contingency plans after authorities announced a seven-day lockdown in the southern state of Victoria to contain a COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne.

Chiba prefecture, which borders Tokyo, announced on Thursday that it was cancelling its stretch of the Olympic torch relay out of safety concerns, becoming the latest area to scale back events.

The head of a Japanese doctors' union warned on Tuesday that holding the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, with tens of thousands of people from around the world, could lead to the emergence of an "Olympic" strain of the coronavirus.

The head of a Japanese doctors' union warned on Tuesday that holding the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, with tens of thousands of people from around the world, could lead to the emergence of an "Olympic" strain of the coronavirus. Also Read | Japan's Tokyo Olympics conundrum worsens amid raging pandemic Japan has pledged to hold a "safe and secure" 2020 Olympics in Tokyo after a year-long postponement but it is struggling to contain the fourth wave of infections and preparing to extend a state of emergency in much of the country. Japanese officials, Olympics organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have all vowed the Games will go ahead, albeit under strict virus-prevention measures. Foreign spectators have been banned and a decision on domestic ones is expected next month. Also Read | Overseas fans barred from Tokyo Olympics over virus fears But even with those steps, worries remain about the influx of athletes and officials into Japan, where a vaccination drive remains glacially slow, with just over 5 per cent of the population having had a shot. With people from more than 200 nations and territories set to arrive, the Games, due to begin in eight weeks, pose a danger, said Naoto Ueyama, head of the Japan Doctors Union. "All of the different mutant strains of the virus which exist in different places will be concentrated and gathering here in Tokyo. We cannot deny the possibility of even a new strain of the virus potentially emerging," he told a news conference. Also Read | Osaka wants 'discussion' on Olympics amid virus surge in Japan "If such a situation were to arise, it could even mean a Tokyo Olympic strain of the virus being named in this way, which would be a huge tragedy and something which would be the target of criticism, even for 100 years." But Kenji Shibuya, director of the Institute of Population Health at King’s College, London, who has recently been helping the vaccination campaign in Japan, played down dangers specific to the Games. "Mutation takes place when virus stays in immunocompromised or partially immunised people for a long period of time," Shibuya said. Also Read | Not thinking of cancelling the Olympics', says Tokyo 2020 chief amid surge in COVID infections "So the current situation in Japan is more dangerous than (during) the Tokyo Games, in my opinion." State of Emergency The Asahi Shimbun, an official partner of the Tokyo Olympics, carried an editorial on Wednesday urging the Games be cancelled, but former IOC vice president Dick Pound said later in the day the sports extravaganza should and would go ahead. Also Read | Japan newspaper sponsoring Tokyo Olympics urges cancellation The government is currently preparing to extend a state of emergency across much of the nation originally set to be lifted on May 31, most likely well into June, officials have said - just weeks before the Games are set to open on July 23. But IOC member John Coates has said the Olympics could be held even under a state of emergency, an opinion Ueyama said was infuriating. "In regards to these statements, the people of Japan are indeed holding great anger towards this, and this is even more the case for healthcare and medical professionals," Ueyama said. Also Read | Citing Covid risk, US warns against travel to Olympic host Japan Earlier this week, the United States advised against travel to Japan, but Olympics organisers have said this will not affect the Games. The White House on Wednesday said it had been assured by Japan's government that it will keep in close contact about concerns over the Olympics. In a sign of how uncertain the situation remains, however, Australia's major sports leagues and Olympic hopefuls were left scrambling to make contingency plans after authorities announced a seven-day lockdown in the southern state of Victoria to contain a COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne. Chiba prefecture, which borders Tokyo, announced on Thursday that it was cancelling its stretch of the Olympic torch relay out of safety concerns, becoming the latest area to scale back events.

Tokyo Games could lead to "Olympic virus" strain, Japanese doctor warns

Japan is extending its coronavirus state of emergency until March 7, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced, following a government meeting.

Japan extends state of emergency in Tokyo and 9 other cities until 7th March

Japan may enter a state of emergency this week as the country grapples with soaring coronavirus cases

Japan poised for state of emergency as Covid-19 cases soar

Japan has confirmed 2,679 new cases of the coronavirus, the highest single-day increase since the pandemic has started.

WION Fineprint: Japan sets new single-day record of COVID-19 cases