Japan ready to deploy military nurses to coronavirus-hit regions: Cabinet Secretary

TOKYO: The Japanese authorities are prepared to send medical staff from the national Armed Forces to the country's regions where the epidemiological situation is particularly difficult, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters on Monday.

"The Osaka and Hokkaido administrations are considering sending such requests. As soon as there are requests, we will be ready for deployment immediately," Kato said.

The national NHK broadcaster reported earlier in the day that the request has already come from Osaka Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi, who had asked Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi to deploy medical personnel from the country's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to help treat particularly severe COVID-19 patients at a new health facility.

Reportedly, the government is preparing to send SDF nurses to the city of Asahikawa in Hokkaido, to help the health staff of local hospitals to tackle the coronavirus clusters.

As of Monday, the Japanese health authorities have confirmed 162,917 COVID-19 infections and 2,259 related fatalities.