Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday the government would consider declaring a state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area as coronavirus cases climb and strain the country’s medical system.

Japan saw a record 4,520 new cases on Dec 31 in a fresh wave of infections, prompting the capital, Tokyo, and three neighbouring prefectures to seek an emergency declaration from the national government. The region accounted for more than half of the nationwide cases on Sunday...