4,518 new coronavirus infections in Japan on Thursday, means the highest daily count ever, as the country struggles to contain a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thus was exceeded Saturday's previous single-day record of 3,851 new cases, according to a Kyodo News tally.

681 reported people with severe symptoms and 48 additional Covid-19-related deaths on Thursday bringing the total death toll to 3,502. There have been more than 236,000 known infections in Japan.

The figures included 1,337 new infections in Tokyo alone, also the biggest daily rise seen in the city, which was far larger than the previous record of 949 on Saturday.

The Japanese capital has been battered by a third wave of "unprecedented scale," Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told a news conference late Wednesday, referring to coronavirus infections.

"It is no surprise that an explosive outbreak could take place at any time," the governor added.

Koike once again urged 14 million Tokyo residents to stay at home during the year-end holiday period.

"We are standing at a critical juncture, whether we can overcome this situation," she added.

Meanwhile, the ministry also reported six cases of a new coronavirus variant initially discovered in Britain, which brought the total to 21 cases in Japan, including one case of another new strain identified in South Africa.

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