Japan to expand state of emergency as COVID-19 shadows Olympics

FILE PHOTO: Smokers wait their turn in a queue as they observe social distancing, during a smoke break ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that were postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Tokyo, Japan July 22, 2021. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's government on Friday proposed states of emergency through Aug. 31 in three prefectures near Olympic host Tokyo and the western prefecture of Osaka, as COVID-19 cases spike to records, overshadowing the Summer Games.

Existing states of emergency for Tokyo - its fourth since the pandemic began - and southern Okinawa island should also be extended to Aug. 31, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is spearheading Japan's pandemic response, told a panel of experts in announcing the proposed expansion.