April 29, 2026
TOKYO – The number of measles cases reached 362 this year as of April 19, according to a preliminary figure released on Tuesday by the Japan Institute for Health Security.
There were 57 cases reported for the week through April 19, the second highest after the previous week with 62 cases, according to the national institute.
Many cases were reported in the Tokyo metropolitan area. By prefecture, Tokyo was at the top with 153 cases, followed by Kanagawa with 36, Kagoshima with 34 and Chiba with 24. Saitama had 22 cases, according to the JIHS.
Vaccination is considered effective to prevent people from being infected with the disease. However, 71% of this year’s cases reported so far had received one dose or none, or it was not known whether they had been vaccinated at all, according to the JIHS.