Tokyo area's Covid-19 numbers showing signs of rising, says Health Minister

A visitor takes pictures of paper lanterns at "Washi candle garden", a memorial to send messages from Tohoku region, in Roppongi district of Tokyo on March 11, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the 9.0-magnitude earthquake which triggered a tsunami and nuclear disaster. - AFP

TOKYO, March 12 (Reuters): Coronavirus cases in the Greater Tokyo area are showing signs of creeping up, Japanese Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said on Friday, raising questions about whether a state of emergency can be lifted on schedule on March 21.

The Japanese government last week extended the emergency declaration for Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures by 14 days, saying COVID-19 cases hadn't fallen far enough, and that new, more infectious coronavirus variants posed a threat.