As Japan marks five years on Wednesday since its first confirmed case of COVID-19, government data show that over 70 million people in the country are estimated to have contracted the virus as of March last year, while total deaths stood at 130,000 as of last August.

While yearly deaths have declined since peaking during the Omicron variant surge in 2022, fatalities remain significantly higher than for influenza, with the virus continuing to spread seasonally in summer and winter.

Yuki Furuse, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Tokyo, noted that while it was expected that the majority of Japan's population would get infected at some point, "the rapid development of effective vaccines, combined with other countermeasures, helped reduce the severity of outbreaks."

"COVID-19 will continue to place a burden on society. Efforts to reduce that burden, including the establishment of systems for basic infection control, must continue," he added.

Blood tests conducted by the health ministry in March last year in 22 of Japan's 47 prefectures found that 60.7 percent of people possessed antibodies indicating prior coronavirus infection. Extrapolating to Japan's population of some 120 million suggests that at least 73 million people have had COVID-19 at least once.

Based on population statistics, the total number of COVID-related deaths between 2020 and August 2024, including provisional figures, stood at around 132,000, compared to around 3,600 deaths from influenza over the same period.

Following the downgrade of COVID-19 to the same category as seasonal influenza in May 2023, the government stopped releasing the daily tally of all new cases, with figures reported only from 5,000 designated medical institutions.

In line with the downgrade, the government phased out subsidies for drugs to treat COVID-19. As a result, many people are believed to be reluctant to see a doctor even in cases of suspected infection, making it more difficult to accurately assess the spread of the virus.

While Japan's COVID-19 death toll remains lower than that of many other developed nations, the pandemic's impact has been wide-ranging, contributing to declining birth rates and increased suicides.

Strict restrictions on visitations remain in place at some hospitals and care facilities, as easing restrictions on societal activities have led to a resurgence of viral and bacterial infections like influenza and mycoplasma pneumonia.

To apply the lessons learned during the coronavirus pandemic, a new organization modeled after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be established from April to advise the government on future major outbreaks of infectious diseases.