Japan on Thursday lifted the state of emergency in three prefectures: Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo.
The state of emergency — enacted to curb the spread of coronavirus — remains in place for five hardest-hit regions, including Tokyo and Hokkaido. The government will convene on Monday to decide whether to lift the order in those places
The government had imposed a nationwide state of emergency on April 16, and lifted it for most of the country last Thursday.
New cases: Japan recorded 43 new coronavirus cases and 19 deaths on Thursday, according to the health ministry.
That raises the national total to 17,051 cases and 809 deaths. Of those, more than 700 cases and at least 13 deaths are linked to the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was docked in quarantine at Yokohama Bay for two weeks in February.
