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Tokyo reports 1,278 coronavirus cases on Tuesday

Jan 05, 2021 (NHK) - The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 1,278 new cases of the coronavirus in the Japanese capital on Tuesday, marking the second-highest figure.

The last time the daily tally topped 1,000 was on New Year's eve, when 1,337 people tested positive.

The latest daily figure was the highest for a Tuesday, and well exceeded the previous record of 856 marked a week ago. The total number of cases confirmed in Tokyo now stands at 64,752.

Tokyo officials say the number of seriously-ill patients reached 111, up three from the day before. The figure is the highest to date.

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Motorcycle owners across Japan can now choose their preferred license plate numbers under a new system introduced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on October 19th, with popular numbers allocated by lottery and applications costing between 2,500 and 3,000 yen.

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