All national dailies wrote that a record 41,487 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Japan on Wednesday, topping 40,000 for the first time and up more than threefold from a week ago. The number of seriously ill patients was 281, up 20 from the previous day, and 15 patients died.

Tokyo reported a record 7,377 new cases, and Osaka confirmed a record 6,101. Okinawa logged 1,433, down 10 from the previous day. Asahi wrote that the impact of the Omicron variant is becoming increasingly serious in Okinawa because although the virus mainly spread among the younger generation in the first week of January, it is now spreading to older people who are at a greater risk of developing severe symptoms.

The papers wrote that companies are pressed to develop or update their business continuity plans to maintain operations in response to the spread of the Omicron variant.