Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has ordered a government task force be set up in response to the coronavirus pandemic, as the number of cases in the country spiked today. 

The establishment of a task force is a requirement to declaring a state of emergency -- though Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said today that the country was not yet at the point of declaring one. 

Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told media after the meeting that the government feared the number of new coronavirus cases was on the rise, with spikes in cases in big cities and from inbound travelers.

Wednesday saw the highest single-day jump in cases so far, with 98 new cases.