(Kyodo News/Getty Images)Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi has asked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to impose restrictions on American military bases in Japan due to a rise in Covid-19 infections among US military personnel. In a phone call Thursday, Hayashi urged Blinken to introduce stricter coronavirus measures to "alleviate local anxiety among the Japanese public," the Japanese government said in a statement. Earlier this week, the governor of Okinawa blasted the US military for failing to contain the spread of coronavirus in Japan’s southernmost prefecture. Rising cases: On Wednesday, Okinawa reported 623 new infections, a significant jump from the previous day's 225. According to the Japanese government, Blinken asserted that both the health and safety of the US Forces in Japan and the local population are very important to the US.

Source: CNN January 06, 2022 20:47 UTC