The head of a government COVID-19 experts panel said Japan had entered a seventh wave of coronavirus infections, but there was ‘no need at this point to impose movement restrictions’.

Tokyo on Tuesday reported 11,511 new coronavirus infections, surpassing 10,000 for the first time in four months, the metropolitan government said.

The figure is more than double the 5,302 cases logged on the same day last week, with the seven-day rolling average of new cases at 8,941 per day, up 136.6% from the previous week. On Tuesday, Tokyo also confirmed one new death.

The previous high of 10,221 was set on March 16.

The coronavirus infections are rising nationally as the southern prefecture of Okinawa also logged Tuesday its highest number of daily cases at 3,436 and four new deaths.

The new figures come as Shigeru Omi, the head of a government COVID-19 experts panel, said Monday that Japan "has no doubt entered" a seventh wave of coronavirus infections, likely fueled by the spread of the BA.5 subvariant of the omicron variant, which is said to be highly transmissible.

But Omi, who discussed the situation with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, added, "I said that if everyone does what they can do, there is no need at this point to impose movement restrictions."