TOKYO, April 2. /TASS/. The number of coronavirus cases in the Japanese capital of Tokyo grew by 97 in the past 24 hours, the Kyodo News Agency reported on Thursday.

Tokyo has set a new record in daily increase in infections with the total number of cases making 684.

As many as 3,346 cases have so far been identified in Japan, including 712 passengers and crew of the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

A total of 82 people have died in the country, including 11 passengers of the ship. About 70 patients in critical condition are receiving intensive treatment.

However, Japanese authorities insist that there is no need to declare a state of emergency. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated the stance, addressing the lower house of parliament on Thursday.

Coronavirus pandemic

In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus — named COVID-19 by the WHO — have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. To date, more than 900,000 people have been infected worldwide and over 45,000 deaths have been reported.