The death toll from the pneumonia-causing virus now stands at a total of 179, including those from a cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo.

In Tokyo, the epicenter of the outbreak in Japan, a total of 2,446 infections have been confirmed, accounting for well over one-third of all COVID-19 cases across the nation, followed by Osaka Prefecture with 894 cases.

Kanagawa Prefecture, meanwhile, has recorded 582 infections, Chiba Prefecture 507 cases, Saitama Prefecture 452 infections, Hyogo Prefecture 423 cases and Fukuoka Prefecture has recorded 409 cases of COVID-19, according to the latest figures Wednesday afternoon.

The health ministry here also said there are currently a total of 158 patients considered severely ill and are on ventilators to receive respiratory assistance or have been admitted to intensive care units for medical treatment.

The ministry also said that in total, 1,497 people have been discharged from hospitals after their symptoms improved, according to the latest figures.

On April 7, Japan declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus crisis in a bid to better empower hard-hit prefectures to take enhanced measures to curb the spread of the virus.

The prefectures under the declaration are Tokyo, Osaka, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures, but other prefectures' governors have asked to be added to the list.

Some prefectures, meanwhile, have issued their own state of emergency, independent of the central government, and asked their residents to take various precautions in a bid to prevent the virus' spread.