Tokyo and its three surrounding prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba, as well as Osaka lifted COVID-19 restrictions on eateries on Monday, following an ongoing downward trend in infections across Japan.

Containment measures restricting the serving of alcohol and operating hours in restaurants in the capital and Osaka have been lifted for the first time in 11 months.

Daily confirmed COVID-19 cases had fallen to 236 across the country on Sunday, compared to more than 25,000 reported in mid-August in the fifth wave of infections. Tokyo confirmed just 19 new infections on Sunday, the fewest since June 17 last year.