Japan will decide Thursday to extend by three weeks until March 6 a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency for Tokyo and 12 prefectures as the nation scrambles to rein in infections caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant. The government also plans to add Kochi in western Japan, effective Saturday until March 6, to the quasi-emergency list, bringing the total to 36 of the country's 47 prefectures amid growing worries about an additional strain on the health care system. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to make a formal decision later in the day after a panel of medical and other exp...
