The number of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 10,000 in Japan

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 10,000 in Japan on Saturday. On March 1, the country had 243 cases.

As of Saturday, Japan had 10,296 confirmed cases, including 222 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. That tally included people who tested positive during airport quarantine checks and health officials.

In recent weeks, Japan's coronavirus cases have spiked -- dashing hopes that the government's initial virus response had succeeded. 

The sharp increase has led Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to extend the state of emergency from seven prefectures to the entire country. On Friday, he promised to provide medical equipment, such as surgical masks, gowns and face shields, to struggling hospitals.

Earlier this week, government experts warned that Japan could have more than 400,000 coronavirus-related deaths if measures such as social distancing were not implemented.