The move comes as questions continue about the country’s willingness to host the Olympics, which is expected to be held this summer from July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo.
Suga told the Japanese parliament on Tuesday that he plans to extend the state of emergency – which will expire on Sunday – to March 7 for ten of the prefectures. The state of emergency is expected to be lifted for one prefecture, he said.
The decision has yet to be finalized by the government’s coronavirus task force, and Suga is expected to hold a press conference on Tuesday night on the state of emergency.
The Japanese Ministry of Health on Monday reported 1,792 new cases of coronavirus and 72 additional deaths, bringing the total number of cases in the country to more than 392,000 and more than 5,800. As of Monday, nearly 50,000 Covid-19 patients needed medical care at the hospital level.
About one-third of the confirmed cases are in the capital Tokyo, which reported less than 500 new cases on Monday for the first time since December 28.
As the country struggles with its current rise, partly due to icy winter temperatures, it is also struggling with mixed messages and coronavirus fatigue.
Suga has been criticized for what is seen as his unwillingness to act to curb the spread of the virus. Kenji Shibuya, director of the Institute for Population Health at King’s College London, said in January that Japan’s response was “too slow and confusing.”