Japan will shorten the COVID isolation time in order to boost the economy.

In an effort to speed up efforts to recover from the economic slowdown brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Tuesday that Japan will reduce the time spent in isolation for COVID-19 patients who have symptoms from the current 10 days to seven days.

If they test negative for the virus, the recovery time will also be reduced from seven days to five days for people who are infected but have no symptoms. After hearing the comments of health professionals at a conference on Wednesday, Kishida said his government will finalise the adjustments.

Kishida additionally informed reporters Japan will begin immunising citizens 12 and older this month against the Omicron form, with a goal of administering more than 1 million doses daily between October and November.

In the prime minister's office, Kishida declared, "We will move ahead with the transition to a new stage of (living) with the coronavirus and intensify our efforts to balance (preventing infection and encouraging) socioeconomic activity. He also said that the number of new infections is declining.

On Tuesday, Japan reported about 112,000 new coronavirus cases, down 40,000 from the week prior. Over 300 people died, which was still a significant number.

The metropolitan administration in Tokyo has acknowledged an additional 9,486 cases. The seven-day rolling average of new infections in the capital was 11,610 per day, which was a 34.5 percent decrease from the prior week.

As part of its efforts to lessen the burden on hospitals and community health centres after the Omicron strain sharply increased cases and stretched the medical system thin, Kishida stated that the government will also review the comprehensive coronavirus reporting system across the nation beginning on September 26.

Municipalities will now only be required to report in detail on patients who are at a high risk of experiencing severe symptoms, such as those who are hospitalised or over 65. The new approach has already been adopted by some prefectures.

Kishida stated, "We will continue to comprehend the overall number of infected persons, including those who are not subject to the thorough reporting, by strengthening the system," despite concerns that such a modification may make it impossible to assess the infection pattern.

The seventh wave of coronavirus infections has hit Japan. However, the government has not enforced harsh limits and has been reducing border control measures as it tries to "live with the coronavirus."