Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
(Athens)
As of 11:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 17 (Japan time)
- Finance Minister Taro Aso and his U.S. counterpart Steven Mnuchin agreed Tuesday to cooperate closely in defending financial markets and the global economy from the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
- Thailand's government on Tuesday decided to postpone celebrations of Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year's holiday held in mid-April, and to close schools for two weeks to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
- Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it has decided to suspend operations at its factories in Portugal and France for around two weeks in response to the governments' policies to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
- The end-of-day ceremony of the Japan leg of the Olympic torch relay will be held without spectators throughout the relay's first days to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, Tokyo Games organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said Tuesday.
- Osaka plans to offer free lunch meals for all students at city government-run elementary and junior high schools from April amid the spread of the novel coronavirus, Mayor Ichiro Matsui said Tuesday.
- Japan Football Association President Kozo Tashima has tested positive for coronavirus, a JFA source said Tuesday.
- South Korea said Tuesday it is planning to postpone the start of a new school year until early April to prevent new-coronavirus infection among school children, as the country reported 84 new infection cases.
- Fast Retailing Co. said it will temporarily close all 50 of its Uniqlo-brand casual fashion outlets in the United States starting Tuesday, due to the spread of the new coronavirus.
- Japan's Olympic minister confirmed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe considers the "complete" hosting of the Tokyo Olympics to mean that they will be held on time and with spectators in attendance, despite worries about the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
- Hong Kong will quarantine all travelers from foreign countries for 14 days from Thursday, as it confronts vastly more imported coronavirus cases than locally transmitted ones.
- China's health authorities on Tuesday reported 21 additional cases of novel coronavirus infection on the mainland, all but one from people arriving from abroad.
- The head of the French Olympic Committee said the coronavirus pandemic must be past its peak by the end of May if the Tokyo Games are to have any chance of going ahead, according to a Reuters report.
- Leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations said they will do "whatever is necessary" to ride out the coronavirus pandemic shock, ranging from deploying fiscal measures to supporting efforts to develop a vaccine.
- Canada is closing its borders as a protective measure against the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
- Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced a two-week nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
As of 11 p.m., Monday, March 16 (Japan time)
- The organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics decided to request that people refrain from watching the torch relay from the roadside for some time in response to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, an official said Monday.
- Grand champion Hakuho remains the only undefeated wrestler after capturing his ninth straight win at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday, though the meet's continuation was called into question after a fever-stricken wrestler was compelled to undergo a test for the new coronavirus.
- The Japanese government is considering postponing Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako's planned state visit to Britain this spring due to the spread of the new coronavirus, a source familiar with the matter said Monday
- A total of 69.9 percent of people do not expect the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer to be held as scheduled, a Kyodo News survey showed Monday.
- The Bank of Japan decided Monday to expand its asset purchase program in a bid to stabilize financial markets thorough increased accumulation of exchange-traded fund securities and corporate bonds.
List of major facilities, events affected by coronavirus in Japan
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- Japan National Tourism Organization's "Guide for when you are feeling ill"
- Multilingual clinic/hospital search available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html - JNTO's "Japan Visitor Hotline"
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas)
http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/content/001328767.pdf - Tokyo Metropolitan Government's hotline
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
0570-550571
- Available via fax for those with hearing impairments
03-5388-1396 - Japan's health ministry hotline
- Available in Japanese only, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
0120-565653 - World Health Organization's "Q&A on coronaviruses"
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses