Tokyo on Sunday recorded 143 new cases of the coronavirus, raising the number of people, who have tested positive for it, to over 1,000.

Sunday’s figure marks another record after health authorities recorded 118 new cases a day earlier, the first time that the daily caseload has risen above 100.

Local media reported that the rising caseload means Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is under increasing pressure to declare a state of emergency to slow the spread of the fast-moving virus.

Japan has already been forced to postpone this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo by one year due to the global crisis.

As of Saturday, 817 coronavirus patients were receiving treatment in Tokyo hospitals.

Report says the rise in cases means the bed capacity for coronavirus patients is stretched to its limits.

Shopping districts in Tokyo, the epicentre of the Japanese outbreak, and in other cities have become significantly quieter than they were at the start of the pandemic, with local authorities urging the population to stay home.